Daniel Dubois – inside the gym

Daniel Dubois

Iโ€™VE had good work from loads of different guys, loads of different guys Iโ€™ve sparred, Martin Bakole, heโ€™s pretty known for sparring tough guys, Iโ€™ve sparred Frazer Clarke, Iโ€™ve sparred them all. Theyโ€™ve all given me a little something to think about. Iโ€™m sure I have as well.

Usually Iโ€™ve got giants, monsters that Iโ€™m sparring, trying to kill me. Itโ€™s all goodโ€ฆ Sometimes you have to go to war, sometimes youโ€™re just learning.

Without [being on GB] I donโ€™t think I would have been able to have the opportunity to spar Anthony Joshua and all these other guys, learn from that and kick start my career to the professional game.

I was a young kid, I wanted to prove myself do well and do well in the spars. Thatโ€™s all I was thinking about. I didnโ€™t know where it was going to lead to at some points.

Itโ€™s the experience of sharing the ring with him and having that on my resumeโ€ฆ Iโ€™m glad I was able to have those moments, like winning those national junior ABA titles.

daniel dubois
Action Images/Reuters/Peter Cziborra

I do enjoy it. I love my time in the gym. Moments Iโ€™ve been working at since I was a little boy. When I have a bad day Iโ€™ll go away and really work on it to make sure I donโ€™t have a bad day again. Bad days count just as much as the good times. Those are the moments when you really have to dig it out. Because you donโ€™t appreciate the good times unless youโ€™ve really come through hard times.

A bad day could be in sparring, getting your ass kicked in sparring, itโ€™s not nice at allโ€ฆ Iโ€™ve taken a few licks in sparring but eventually I always come back. I dig it out and return the favour. Itโ€™s always fun. Itโ€™s a challenge but Iโ€™m glad. It can make you or break you, that situation.

Youโ€™ve got to learn. When you donโ€™t even think youโ€™ve got it in you, youโ€™ve got to bring it out of you. Thatโ€™s the best possible scenario sometimes, sink or swim. It can make you or break you. I feel like those situations, when youโ€™re put into that sort of scenario you can really, really develop quickly and before you know it youโ€™re unbeatable. Things happen like that.

Itโ€™s known as one of the hardest sports in the world for a reason. I can see that definitely now. From my own experience Iโ€™ve had to really, really work on killing myself in the gym.

Ultimately itโ€™s all down to you, you being fit on the night. Some fighters donโ€™t take training seriously. For a pro, itโ€™s different from being an amateur. You donโ€™t have to come to the gym, you can stay at home. You can be lazy. But ultimately you canโ€™t be lazy in boxing. Itโ€™s a vicious sport. You have to be on top of it at all times.

[In terms of motivation] I donโ€™t even think about it like that. Itโ€™s my life. Once you make it into a lifestyle every day, like going to the park for a walk, doing anything, it becomes normal, normal to push yourself or bring yourself close to the point of collapse. I enjoy it.

This is the second part of three part series. Read part one here

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