Oleksandr Usyk Vs Daniel Dubois
Oleksandr Usyk defends his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles against Daniel Dubois in front of a large contingent of Ukrainian war refugees living in Poland. Dubois hits a low blow late in the round that rocks Usyk and has the referee take a long time before calling the fight back on.
1. Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois
Oleksandr Usyk is defending his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles against Daniel Dubois at Stadion Wroclaw in Poland. It’s the first time the Ukrainian will have fought outside cruiserweight, where he made his name, and there’s plenty of hype surrounding the match-up.
Dubois is a talented young prospect who has made the transition to heavyweight seamlessly, although he has yet to face anyone of real substance in his career. Usyk has looked a class above his opponents so far but the challenger is a dangerous proposition, and one that will demand his all-out attention.
It’s a very quiet start to the contest, with both men feeling each other out. Usyk is working the jab well and he catches Dubois with a short left hook, which hurts him. But the challenger is showing no signs of being intimidated by his illustrious opponent and is fighting back hard.
Round two: Usyk lands a couple of jabs to the head and body and is looking to build up a rhythm here. But Dubois is proving to be more and more dangerous, with a short right hand catching Usyk low in the stomach. The challenger looks a bit winded but is clearly not out of the fight.
Round three: Usyk is beginning to dominate with his jab and he’s stalking Dubois across the ring. A monster short right from Dubois lands and sends the champion reeling! The referee calls it a knockdown but there’s some doubt about whether it was legitimate. It does seem to be a turning point in the fight though, with Dubois upping his aggression and starting to look more dangerous. But he was still unable to find a way past Usyk’s superior handspeed and accurate combinations.
2. The Fight
Oleksandr Usyk retained his IBF, WBA and WBO world heavyweight titles in a dramatic ninth round against Daniel Dubois. The champion was in total control until a blow ruled as a low punch changed the course of the fight. Dubois came out fighting but his superior skill didn’t quite compensate for the damage he took.
Dubois is looking to work the body early on, a long left hand lands for him and the champion is taking a beating. A flurry of punches from the Briton, including another left to the body, but a straight right puts him back on the ropes. He fights his way off and tries to get some distance but a monster short right hand from Usyk sends him down.
Usyk tries to step up the pace, stalking the challenger across the ring and landing a series of jabs. He takes a little time to reset and then moves in with a big uppercut to the head that staggers Dubois. The champion tries to move again and gets a few lefts to the head but his style isn’t working against the challenger so far.
A good left hook from Dubois, the champion trying to catch him and pick him apart but he’s still too far ahead in the rounds. A flurry of punches rock Dubois back and then he misses with a three-punch combination. The champion tries to land one last left but it’s an over-handle and he drops the challenger for the count. The referee isn’t impressed and he’s forced to stop the fight.
3. Predictions
Oleksandr Usyk is the overwhelming favorite in this contest and the betting public is backing him with 87 percent of handle and 93 percent of bets. The champ has been a dominant force in the heavyweight division since moving up from cruiserweight in 2019, where he toppled Anthony Joshua by unanimous decision in their highly anticipated rematch in 2021. The Ukrainian is undefeated in his career with all but one of those victories coming by way of knockout.
Dubois is a legitimate challenger and is a WBA heavyweight champion (regular) with a strong claim to one of Usyk’s three belts. The Briton is a dangerous counter puncher with a solid chin and the ability to fight on the inside.
In round two, Dubois starts to find his groove with a series of hard body shots. He is putting pressure on Usyk and can feel the fight beginning to get away from him as the round comes to an end. But a straight right hand puts Dubois down and he can’t beat the count!
The pace slows down a little in the fourth but Dubois is still looking to land his jab and slipping some of Usyk’s hooks. But the champion is starting to impose himself on his opponent and a stray blow from Dubois in round five looks like it might be a low punch but is ruled legal.
The round ends with both fighters landing some big blows but it is Usyk who takes control in the closing seconds. The Ukrainian goes for a knockout finish and puts his opponent on the ropes before landing a hard shot to the chest. The referee calls it a stoppage and Usyk retains his WBA, IBF and WBO titles.
4. Lineup
The Ukrainian is looking to add a fifth world heavyweight title to his collection against the 25-year-old Brit. The challenger is coming off a win over Kevin Lerena on the Tyson Fury-Derek Chisora undercard, and he will need to bring his A-game if he is going to derail the former cruiserweight champion.
Usyk is in a good position as the round begins with him stalking Dubois and throwing some jabs that aren’t quite connecting. He then catches him with a short right hand to the body, which has Dubois in trouble. The challenger tries to work his way back up but is caught with another short right from the champ.
In the second round Usyk continues to stalk his opponent and picks him off with a series of jabs. Dubois lands a couple of shots of his own, including a big left hand. However, he isn’t quite able to put together a sustained attack and the round ends with Usyk taking control.
Round three is a lot more back-and-forth as the pair try to find their range. Usyk gets a few nice left hands through and is starting to look like he’s in control.
However, in the final minute of the round Dubois lands a solid shot to the body and he looks to be struggling. It’s a bit of a low blow but the referee didn’t seem to think it was too low. After the round ends Usyk goes into Dubois’ corner and tells him to stay focused. He also seems to be telling him that his time will come if he keeps working hard. It’s a great scene. The fans are loving it.
5. Results
The champion Usyk retained his IBF, WBA and WBO world titles with a ninth round stoppage of Dubois. The British challenger was always on the back foot and could not catch Usyk with his superior skill set but he showed real promise, particularly in the second half of the fight when he increased the aggression.
It was a tense and engaging fight in front of a huge crowd. Both fighters were in control until the fifth round when a borderline shot from Dubois caught Usyk below the belt and left him winded. It was a significant blow and could have changed the course of the fight.
Round six started with a lot of jabbing from both fighters as they tried to size each other up. Usyk threw some solid left hands, but also tried to work the body as well. The challenger was catching him with some nice hooks to the body but he was unable to put enough power behind them to hurt him.
Dubois was warned for a right hand to the body that might have been a bit low. The young Brit was looking to get some momentum going but his attack was cut short by another right hand from the champ. Round seven saw the fighters trade a few punches. Usyk worked the body with some great jabs and a good right hand to the head. He looked comfortable in the fight but Dubois was beginning to show more and more confidence.
