Boxingtalk had the opportunity to speak with Daniel Dubois' trainer Don Charles and here is what he had to say...

 

Boxingtalk: what are your thoughts regarding referee Luis Pabon’s call in round five, calling Dubois' body shot a low blow?

 

Don Charles: Daniel landed a clean blow on the belt and a little above. If you look at the video from ESPN, Usyk was severely hurt. If the referee, Luis Pabon, had made the right call, I doubt if Usyk would have retained his belts. He has never had to deal with power like Daniel possesses.

 

BT: It seemed that you were focused on going to Usyk’s body. Was that the plan?

 

DC: As you know, I brought trainer James Ali Bashir to work with us because he had been Usyk’s trainer during his reign as undisputed cruiserweight champion. Besides, Bashir has been in the game for over forty years and was Emmanuel Steward’s assistant for seventeen years. His depth of experience was so valuable.  We felt that we needed to keep Usyk out of  his comfort zone which is pot-shotting his opponents and using the ring. Our plan was to weaken him to the body and during the later part of the fight, finishing him. But when we were faced with two opponents [meaning the referee as well as Usyk] in the ring, this was not fair to Daniel or any boxer who has to worry about fighting two opponents. That plays on you mentally, it takes always from your focus.

 

We exposed Usyk. Body shots are like kryptonite to him. He can’t take body shots. We know from several of his fights in the amateurs and pro that once he gets hit to the body, he looks to the referee for help.  We gave top heavyweights the blue print to beat him.  We deserve to be allowed to finish the job before the queue gets bigger now that we exposed this fraud. 

 

BT: Most trainers wouldn’t let someone else with his vast experience to come in and work with their fighter. Why did you do it?

 

DC: My responsibility as the chief trainer is to do everything possible to give my fighter the best chance to win. My ego is small and I am quite secure in my skin, so this was the right thing to do. Together, we made a great team with vast experience.

 

BT: Was Bashir instrumental in designing the fight plan?

 

DC: Absolutely. Bashir told us that Usyk’s weakness was taking shots to the body. That was one of the areas we focused on. Of course, like I said before, we wanted to take away his lateral movement with body blows and then finish him with shots to the head. 

 

BT: What was your reaction after the body shot?

 

DC:  I knew once Usyk went down that the shot was clean and said to Bashir that our game plan had been realized. But then I saw Usyk asking the referee for help and to my utter shock, the referee obliged. I immediately thought of Luis Pabon doing the same thing when he was assigned the [second fight between] Usyk and Anthony Joshua [in 2022]. If that wasn’t enough, it was then clear to me that the referee was biased, and we had two opponents to fight.

 

BT: How so?

 

DC: Some four minutes after Usyk got up and told the referee that he was ready to fight, the referee suggested to Usyk to take another minute. A referee is supposed to remain neutral. Under no circumstances is he to help the fighter, that is not his job.  

 

BT: Daniel looked like he faded after the fight resumed. Was that a concern for you?

 

DC: Daniel was upset and concerned after seeing the referee go to Usyk’s aid. He knew that the referee had taken away his best weapon and thought the referee was looking to disqualify him if another shot to the body landed and Usyk continued looking for help. In fact, you will notice that Daniel did land another body shot which again was clean, and immediately Usyk stopped and looked at the referee for help. Imagine a  great footballer like David Beckham having to strike with his legs tied? Daniel thought the fight was over and now all that was on his mind was wondering if the referee was tying his hands behind his back. Mentally, Daniel was frustrated and disillusioned. He knew we were in hostile territory because even though the fight was in Poland, it was like Usyk was fighting at home with so many Ukrainian refugees present.

 

People forget that Daniel is only 25 years young. Why should Usyk get to take our place in the Saudi heavyweight tournament? Daniel is a proud young man. He will keep his head up and take pride in doing to Usyk what no other fighter has done.

 

BT: After the fight Usyk was asked in the ring by Michelle Joy Phelps how he would rate Dubois' renowned punching power, Usyk responded: 'No, only in my balls.'  What do you say about his response?

 

DC: I say two things. First, Usyk is the only man on this earth who’s balls are on his waist. Second, to be honest, I don’t understand what Usyk is talking about because we now know, he has no balls so have could Daniel have hit something Usyk doesn’t have? Look. I admire the Ukrainian people for their courageous fight against Goliath [in the was vs. Russia]. But, Usyk is not cut from the same cloth as those brave soldiers. Usyk talks so much about his Christian faith. He’s a hypocrite and he knows it. His only faith is in the referee helping him as they have done so many times when he gets hit with a legitimate body shot. 

 

BT: Given the circumstances, what is your plan now?

 

DC: Obviously, [Dubois' promoter] Frank Warren and our team are upset. But we know Frank will fight vigorously for Daniel outside the ring by protesting this injustice to the sanctioning bodies. Frank is not going to let this happen without fighting for Daniel. 

 

BT: What do you think should happen?

 

DC: Well, we know they won’t give Daniel the victory which the referee stole from him. But, the fight should be ruled a No Contest, and an immediate rematch should be called.

 

BT: Given the [rumored] mega-heavyweight tournament that the Saudis want to happen [Usyk, Joshua, Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder] and given the massive financial stake the sanctioning bodies have to see that tournament happen, do you think that’s possible?

 

DC: Look, Daniel won and lost on the same night. The referee of our fight should eat his words and give himself the same advice he gave to the referee of the Douglas-Tyson fight and get out of boxing.* Many reporters who have called me said this referee is a disgrace to our sport. If the sanctioning bodies don’t have the guts to do what is right, then this is just another black eye for our sport. As a man of faith, I believe that the fans and public are watching closely. If Usyk and the referee are allowed to steal the belts from Daniel without ordering a rematch, the sport will have suffered yet another blow to its fragile state.

 

Editor's note: According to an April 13, 2020 story on Fightnews.com, referee Luis Pabon was critical of the referee work of Octavio Meyran during Buster Douglas' stunning upset of Mike Tyson in 1990. In round eight of Douglas-Tyson, after Douglas was knocked down by Tyson, and Meyran neglected to pick up the timekeeper’s count. Some felt that Meyran's failure cost Tyson a knockout win. Douglas went on to KO Tyson two rounds later. “Tyson won and lost on the same night,” said Pabon, who further stated, Meyran’s referring career was basically over after that fight. Ironically, Pabon also gave Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk a massive break in Usyk’s second fight against Anthony Joshua (2022), calling Joshua body shot low and giving Usyk sufficient time to recover. Sound familiar?

 

BT: Do you have any last words for your fans?

 

DC: On behalf of Team Dubois, we just want to thank everyone for their support. Daniel deserves to be treated fairly and respectfully. That’s all we are asking. This fight isn’t over. Thank you for this time.