Daniel Dubois plans to repeat his pre-fight party tradition ahead of his undisputed heavyweight championship rematch with Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley Stadium this weekend.
The British fighter will host a gathering at his Essex home with his father Stan, just as he did before his knockout victory over Anthony Joshua last September.
Dubois' first encounter with Usyk ended in a ninth-round technical knockout defeat at Wroclaw Stadium in Poland in August 2023. The Londoner went down from a jab before referee Luis Pabon waved off the contest, marking the second loss of Dubois' professional career.
The bout raised questions about Dubois' resilience under intense pressure. His trainer Don Charles, who had just 14 weeks to prepare Dubois for that fight, remains adamant that a controversial moment in the fifth round affected the outcome.
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|Daniel Dubois is ready to make "Wembley my home" on Saturday
The 27-year-old is confident about making Wembley his fortress.
"When I win at Wembley, I'll make it my home. It was Joshua's home, Joshua was the man, but it's gonna be mine," he told The Ring.
On his party plans, he added: "We had a little celebration at home before the AJ fight.
"The day of the fight it was. My dad brought a lot of people he knows around, it was good, music and food. We're gonna do the same again."
Charles believes Usyk exaggerated the impact of what he insists was a legitimate body shot, not a low blow, allowing the Ukrainian champion crucial recovery time.
Following that setback, Dubois has embarked on a devastating run of form alongside Charles. The pair have secured three consecutive knockout victories in just 10 months, dismantling Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Joshua.
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|The pair will face of in an attempt to unify the belts
Both the Miller and Hrgovic fights saw Dubois endure difficult moments before ultimately prevailing with stoppages. These gruelling encounters appeared to forge the confidence that would serve him well against Joshua.
His spectacular performance against AJ at Wembley in front of 96,000 spectators last September earned him the IBF belt, which became available after Usyk relinquished it. Meanwhile, Usyk has since defeated Tyson Fury twice to become and remain undisputed champion.
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Dubois views the rematch as an opportunity to silence his critics and establish himself as the division's dominant force.
"I know a lot of people that still don't accept me as being The Man, so I've got to make sure I put my stamp on it," he said.
PA | Tyson Fury is set for a trilogy against Oleksandr Usyk next yearThe 22-2 fighter, with 21 knockouts, acknowledges the significance of facing Usyk again with Charles in his corner.
"It's a full circle moment [being here with Don]. It feels like the stars have aligned and it's all coming back together," he said.
He will become the first boxer to headline Wembley Stadium in consecutive bouts, adding to the historic nature of Saturday's contest.