Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ROOMMATES TO ROOM HATES
Gorman and Dubois in grudge clash after digs dispute
DANIEL DUBOIS and Nathan Gorman became rivals after sharing a room four years ago for one night.
That is all the time they could stick in each other’s company.
Neither man will discuss what exactly happened back when they briefly shared accommodation as GB Boxing amateur teammates. “I just had to get out of there,” Gorman said.
Whether it was a row over who had the remote or maybe a loud snorer, it will all be settled tonight at the O2 in London.
The pair, with just 27 pro fights between them, face each other for the vacant British heavyweight title.
They have shared a ring before when they were sparring partners on the GB squad in 2015.
Cheshire man Gorman, unbeaten in 16 pro bouts, insists he got the better of Londoner Dubois in every single round.
Dubois, who has stopped 10 of his 11 victims, dismisses that and they can’t even agree on the number of rounds they sparred. Now they meet for real. “I definitely got the better of him,” recalled Gorman. “But obviously that was four years ago and there has been a lot of water under the bridge since. He has developed, changed and matured, and so have I. It was exciting then so it will be great to see it now.”
Gorman, 23, left the GB Boxing set-up in 2015 to turn pro as he felt he didn’t fit in, preferring to start out in small-hall shows on the long road to the top. It’s been a very different route to the path followed by 6ft 5in giant Dubois.
The Londoner, 21, was poached from Robert Mccracken’s team by promoter Frank Warren at just 19. He was instantly seen as a potential heir to the world heavyweight throne while Gorman has had to graft under the guidance of trainer and former world champion Ricky Hatton.
It is an intriguing clash of styles between the bighitting Dubois, who looks the part of a heavyweight boxer, and Gorman, who is more in the mould of his distant cousin Tyson Fury.
Dubois said: “I don’t know what Nathan will try but I am not at all worried about what he will do.
“I am just going in there at my sharpest, to show off all my talent.
“I don’t think I am that far from a world title because of how the landscape has changed.”
The winner tonight will be fast-tracked to world title honours while the loser will have to rebuild, much like how James Degale did after losing early in his pro career to amateur rival George Groves.