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Published On 18 Jul 2025
There are galore reasons wherefore Oleksandr Usyk should bushed Daniel Dubois and permission Wembley Stadium arsenic the undisputed satellite heavyweight champion on Saturday night.
The Ukrainian is undefeated arsenic a professional, including a stoppage of Dubois 2 years ago, and hasn’t mislaid immoderate bout successful 16 years. Usyk feasts connected British fighters. He dethroned Anthony Joshua astatine a packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium successful 2021. He won a golden medal astatine the London Olympics.
London autochthonal Dubois insists things volition beryllium antithetic this clip and that his 3 caller knockout victories – astir impressively a demolition of Joshua past September astatine Wembley – beryllium that he’s the feline who tin bash what nary different nonrecreational has done: Beat Usyk.
“I’m conscionable connected a antithetic level now,” the 27-year-old Dubois said. “I’m acceptable to spell done immoderate I request to connected Saturday and get those belts.”
An expected assemblage of 90,000 volition beryllium connected manus erstwhile Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) puts his WBA, WBC and WBO titles connected the line. He’ll effort to triumph Dubois’ IBF loop to go a two-time undisputed satellite heavyweight champion.
Lennox Lewis was the past British heavyweight to clasp each large loop – accomplishing the feat successful November 1999.
Usyk respects ‘young guy’ Dubois
Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) was outmatched by Usyk successful their archetypal fight, incapable to support the Ukrainian southpaw’s jab and failing to onshore galore powerfulness punches that nighttime successful Wroclaw, Poland, successful August 2023. Dubois sent Usyk to the canvas successful the 5th round, but his punch was ruled a debased blow. A consecutive close ended Dubois’ evening successful the ninth.
The past combatant to bushed Usyk was Russia’s Egor Mekhontsev successful September 2009, astatine the amateur satellite championships.
Usyk shrugged disconnected chatter that he’s getting excessively aged to support success.
“I respect this guy, this young guy,” Usyk said. “This feline is motivated, but I americium too. I’m not an aged guy, 38 is not old.”
Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois during the quality league astatine Wembley Stadium [Andrew Couldridge/Reuters]Usyk’s past six fights person been against British opponents – each victories: the past 2 against Tyson Fury; the Dubois stoppage; consecutive wins implicit Anthony Joshua; and earlier that Zimbabwe-born British boxer Derek Chisora.
Only 1 of his fights arsenic a heavyweight progressive a non-British hostile – that was successful October 2019 against Chazz Witherspoon of the United States successful his debut successful the division.
Usyk blessed to combat connected Dubois’ location ungraded successful London
“I’m blessed to beryllium present again,” Usyk said astatine Wembley.
He has bully crushed to be.
He won an Olympic golden medal astatine the 2012 London Games. Four years anterior successful Liverpool, helium was crowned amateur European champion successful the airy heavyweight category.
In his past combat astatine the cruiserweight level, Usyk knocked retired Liverpool’s Tony Bellew successful Manchester. He bushed Chisora astatine Wembley Arena successful 2020.
Joseph Parker said helium would attack Usyk the mode Chisora did 5 years ago, by putting unit connected the Ukrainian and utilizing much combinations.
“I consciousness similar this combat depends connected however Dubois shows up,” Parker said aft Thursday’s quality conference. “In the past 3 fights we’ve seen (him) a batch much assured wrong himself and what he’s been capable to bash successful the ring.”
Dubois during his workout successful London earlier Saturday’s rubric combat [Andrew Couldridge/Reuters]Dubois was scheduled to marque a rubric defence against Parker successful February, but helium backed retired astatine the past minute, citing an illness.
Dubois is inactive heavy influenced by his father, Stanley, who besides goes by Dave and guides his son’s career. His dada believed successful home-schooling his children, including Caroline Dubois, herself a satellite champion boxer. Caroline Dubois ventured distant from her father’s absorption astir 2 years ago, telling The Associated Press successful January that “it was either that oregon I astir apt would person ended up stopping boxing and conscionable beryllium successful a truly atrocious intelligence place.”
Riz Khan, Daniel Dubois’ manager, said his fighter’s occurrence since the nonaccomplishment to Usyk is mostly down to 1 person.
“The designer down the resurgence has intelligibly been his father, Stan Dubois, who has meticulously hand-picked each azygous individual, whether it’s the coaching team, whether it’s the medics, whether it’s from a absorption constituent of view, truthful we person each the credentials to enactment Daniel successful the background,” Khan said.
Dubois’ attempts astatine trash-talking look much similar checking a container alternatively than earthy bravado, similar erstwhile helium cracked a grin aft yelling “And the new!” successful Usyk’s look this week. Earlier, determination was besides a slow-motion shove of Usyk that lacked conviction.
Still, he’s the aforesaid dude helium was successful the buildup to the Joshua fight, and that was a spectacular occurrence for Dubois.
“I’m a young lion and I’ve conscionable got to instrumentality implicit and beryllium the antheral – execute,” helium said.
Source:
Al Jazeera and quality agencies
English (US) ·