Oleksandr Usyk savaged reigning IBF World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois when comparing him to Anthony Joshua. The 37-year-old made history in May after becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era, following a monumental journey that saw him overcome five British fighters in six years. ‘
The Cat’ first secured the unified heavyweight title by defeating Joshua, making a mockery of claims that Usyk’s size would be detrimental to his success after moving up from cruiserweight. He then defended his titles against ‘AJ’ in a rematch, before winning a controversial bout against Dubois. Following a cagey opening to the fight, Dubois appeared to drop Usyk in the fifth round, but faced cries of a low blow coming from Ukrainian and his corner.
Siding with the Ukrainian, referee Luis Pabon ruled the body shot to be low and allowed Usyk time to recover. Had it been deemed to be a legal punch, it is highly unlikely that Usyk would have been able to recover sufficiently to beat the official’s count.
After being allowed to recover, Usyk then went on to ensure his retention of the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight belts via a ninth-round knockout. Complaints from Dubois’ promoter, Frank Warren, were not successful in securing a rematch and Usyk moved past the Londoner after the scare.
Dubois Now Holds One of Usyk’s Former Titles
In his next fight, Usyk would battle past Tyson Fury to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion. However, just five weeks after that monumental victory, Usyk would be forced to vacate his IBF heavyweight title. Within hours, interim champion Dubois was upgraded to full IBF world champion – an ironic twist given his history with Usyk.
The 26-year-old will now face Joshua in his first title defence, with Wembley Stadium playing host to the clash on the 21st of September. In the build-up to that fight, an unflattering comparison that Usyk made between Dubois and Joshua during an interview with Boxing News has emerged. He was pretty brutal in his assessment.
Although Usyk has two wins over Joshua, both game via decision, whereas he was able to halt Dubois inside the scheduled distance. Whether or not the harsh words stemmed from his anger on the controversy with the match against Dubois, ‘Dynamite’ has certainly proved that he belongs at world level and an exciting bout looks to be in store when he clashes with Joshua in September.
