Joshua Misunderstood My Instructions – Coach Ben Davison on Dubois Fight

Ben Davison, head coach of Anthony Joshua, has spoken out about the instructions he gave his fighter during the bout with Daniel Dubois, and how they were misunderstood in the ring. He also addressed the critique from Shane McGuigan, Dubois’ former trainer, who was commentating the fight for BBC Five Live.

“He’s right that Daniel was throwing the right hand after the double jab — 100 percent,

But what we were asking AJ to do was double jab and throw the uppercut. Dubois was slipping down under the right hand, so if he’s ducking under it, the correct shot is a right uppercut.

That wasn’t about taking a wild gamble or engaging in a slugfest. ‘Roll the dice’ referred to a specific combination we had drilled over and over during camp — double jab and uppercut. Against Hrgović, Dubois kept ducking under the right. Hrgović tried uppercuts, but wasn’t close enough to land them clean.

Unfortunately, AJ didn’t throw that combination once during the fight. But it had nothing to do with reckless aggression — it was a technical sequence we worked on.”

Joshua has not fought since the loss to Dubois, though recent reports suggest a verbal agreement with Tyson Fury is in place for a potential bout at Wembley.

Photo: DAZN