Daniel Dubois had already shown a fiery side prior to his confrontation with Anthony Joshua.
‘Dynamite’ will defend his newly awarded IBF heavyweight world title against British rival Joshua on September 21 at Wembley Stadium.
The pair were brought together for the first time in a face-to-face sitdown interview, where they clashed in a heated altercation after Dubois stood up and invited Joshua to fight on the spot.
Dubois is normally very composed and respectful to his opponents, but promoter Frank Warren revealed this is not the first time he has shown a trash-talking persona.
He told BoxNation: “They [previous opponents] would try to intimidate him and try to get into his head.
“It didn’t happen, a couple of them touched a nerve and he stood his ground. He is more verbal and there is more about him now.
“Filip Hrgovic tried to do the same thing at the roundtable and he said what he needed to say what he said.
“Hrgovic had said he’d got ‘no balls’ and he was then asked how he’d won the fight and he said ‘I’m going to knock the c*** out’.
“I nearly fell off my chair I’d never even heard him swear before.”
Dubois dealt with Hrgovic inside the ring after their verbal altercation, winning by stoppage to secure his day of destiny against Joshua.
And his second face-to-face sitdown interview went the same with Joshua climbing to his feet and threatening to ‘smash’ Dubois with a chair.
There was no animosity between the pair in later face-offs at the launch press conference, with their differences seemingly settled.
Frank Warren claims that Daniel Dubois is a harder puncher than Anthony Joshua ahead of their heavyweight clash
Although Queensberry Promotions’ chief Warren believes Joshua ‘touched a nerve’ of his own in the altercation.
He continued: “He stood his ground with AJ. I look at them both and AJ has much more experience.
“He has been around the block a few times and I’m surprised because I think he touched a nerve.
“I don’t think it was intentional. I think it was just meant to be a roundtable saying normal stuff, but I think he touched a nerve.
“But for me it is a moment in time. But once that bell goes, no-one is going to be thinking about that for sure.”
Dubois knows a huge statement win over Joshua will cement his name in the world title mix ahead of a busy 2025 for the heavyweight division.
An upset win over AJ would see him thrust into a potential shot at the winner of Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury on December 21.
