Daniel Dubois secured a phenomenal victory over Fabio Wardley at the weekend, but one of the most viral moments of the bout came in-between rounds, when ‘Triple D’ was slapped by lead trainer, Don Charles. Reflecting on his performance, Dubois revealed how Charles’ approach helped him in the fight.
Dubois was dropped in round one and three, looking set to become the latest to succumb to the power of Fabio Wardley, who had knocked out all 19 of his opponents since his 2017 debut until that point.
Additionally, Dubois has been accused of ‘quitting’ in the past, due to him taking a knee in defeats to both Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk. Although, after being dealt a slap from his cornerman, Charles, the 28-year-old showed no such weakness and instead rallied to an extraordinary win to become a two-time world champion.
DUBOIS CORNER JUST SLAPPED HIM 👀😅
🎟️Buy WARDLEY vs DUBOIS HERE –>https://t.co/FoiaUucafv#WardleyDubois | Live NOW on DAZN pic.twitter.com/qeXugfWo0w
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 9, 2026
Speaking in the post-fight press conference, Dubois admitted that Charles’ two-slap combination helped him to focus and ‘stay in reality’, as captured by iFL TV.
“I needed that slap just to wake up and stay in reality, you know. I’ve got to dig deep, as a warrior, you have to dig deep. You have to go to that dark place and come out on top.”
Now in possession of the WBO heavyweight world title, ‘Triple D’ has proven that he is amongst the heavyweight elite and that any lack of mental fortitude has been extinguished.
For Dubois, Moses Itauma is expected to be named as his mandatory challenger, but it remains to be seen whether the 21-year-old will pursue the WBO crown or a seek an alternate route to world honours.
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