I MIGHT RECONSIDER MY FOUR-YEAR PLAN

Fighter Diary by Daniel Dubois

Ahead of his next fight at the Copper Box on September 16, in the latest of our exclusive weekly diary columns by the fighters, great heavyweight hope Daniel Dubois talks about a revised career plan ahead of his challenge for the Southern Area title against AJ Carter

WHEN I MADE the decision to leave the Team GB amateur system and pursue a career in the professional ranks, my thinking was that the four-year Olympic cycle would be time better spent preparing for my dream of becoming a world heavyweight champion.

I believed I would achieve my goal within this timeframe and become a very young world champion, with me now approaching my 20th birthday.

My mindset was different back then before my first professional fight and I thought it was going to go slowly for me, fighting on lots of undercards and just getting experience.

I didn’t expect to be fighting for titles in just my fourth and fifth fight, winning the WBC world youth title in July against Mauricio Barragan and now preparing to fight for the Southern Area belt against AJ Carter on September 16 at the Copper Box.

The WBC youth title was very good for me and a step up – not just in the fight, but rankings-wise as well.

It goes to show that Frank Warren has got the confidence in me to put me in for titles so early and the matchmaking has all gone to plan so far. The belief my team have in me is very reassuring.

My route has been laid out for me as we go along and I am ready to grab every opportunity that comes my way.

Coming from the amateurs where I was at a good level, instead of going backwards on entering the pros we have now surpassed that and will go on to bigger and better things.

So it would be true to say that I have revised my timescale for attempting to reach the top.

Frank has been talking about trying to make me the youngest heavyweight world champion from England. Obviously Herbie Hide holds that distinction at 22 and I would expect to get there or thereabouts after winning these titles so early in my career.

It could still end up being four years, I don’t know, we will just see as we go along. But being Britain’s youngest heavyweight world champion would definitely be something for me.

I won’t get ahead of myself though, I have a big fight coming up against AJ Carter, I am expecting a good performance from myself and I will be bringing my A-game in. I will let nothing hold me back on the night and I will go in there determined and with a will to win.

The work we will put in beforehand will see me through and I am sparring top quality fighters.

I am just preparing for the goal of achieving everything I have set out to achieve in professional boxing and the next step is this Southern Area title.