JIMMY TIBBS, the grandfather of British boxing trainers, is having a dose of deja vu as he prepares Daniel Dubois for his comeback fight on June 5.
Tibbs, 74 years young, trained Frank Bruno for the first six years of his career and he’s finding it uncanny there are so many similarities between Dubiois and the former world heavyweight champ.
When Dangerous Dan unfairly ditched his previous trainer Martin Bowers after losing his unbeaten record against Joe Joyce six months ago, he decided he would be better off teaming-up with Mark Tibbs.
As Mark is in Las Vegas training Billy Joe Saunders for his world super-middleweight unification clash with Canelo Alvarez, in Texas on May 8, Dubois has had the good fortune to have Tibbs Snr looking after him.
Jimmy has a CV second to none.
Apart from Bruno, among those who have benefitted from his experience and expertise are Nigel Benn, Lloyd Honeyghan, Charlie Magri, Michael Watson, Barry McGuigan and Saunders.
Jimmy told me: “From the moment Dan started working with me, it was as if my life had been transported 40 years back in time.
“It was like the young Bruno had walked back into the gym again. And I suddenly realised he and Dan are so much alike.”
Dubois, 23, returns to action against Romanian Bogdan Dinu for the vacant WBA interim title.
He will also be able to prove to everyone he has fully recovered psychologically from the severe fractured eye-socket injury he received losing to Joyce.
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And that he still has the desire and the fighting heart to go with it following the criticism he was subjected to from fellow pros for taking the knee and allowing himself to be counted out.
Dinu is not going to be a walk in the park for Dubois.
He may not be among the heavyweight elite but he has lost just two of his 22 fights — stopped by Jarrell Miller and Kubrat Pulev, two top-ten contenders.
And 16 of his victories have been knockouts.
Jimmy added: “Coming back off a defeat is difficult — more so for someone like Dan, who will be under scrutiny. We should find out what he’s made of against Dinu.”
Promoter Frank Warren certainly hasn’t lost faith in his prodigy.
He said: “His enthusiasm to reach the top hasn’t diminished.
“He will only learn and benefit from the experience of taking a first loss and rebuilding from it.”
Losing an unbeaten record can sometimes be a blessing in disguise.
It can lift the burden of expectation from a fighter’s shoulders, which in turn releases anxiety.
