Usyk / Dubois 2: Can Daniel Dubois Seize the Crown This Summer?

By Geoff Cater: July has all the time been the month for British sport: Wimbledon, the British Grand Prix, the Open golf – however the rematch between Oleksander Usyk and Daniel Dubois makes this summer time really particular.

Not solely is it the primary heavyweight world championship to be held in Britain unified by all 4 main belts – the challenger, Dubois (22-2), is a Brit. Hardly one thing that may be repeated yearly.

Not sufficient? Dubois faces an all-time nice within the champion, Usyk (23-0). For these of you preferring unambiguous sporting legacies, if Usyk prevails at Wembley Stadium on 19 July, he could have achieved the next: beginner report: 335-15; Olympic gold; unified cruiserweight world champion; and unified heavyweight world champion. He could have overwhelmed each main heavyweight rival not as soon as, however twice (Anthony Joshua; Tyson Fury; Daniel Dubois – all of whom simply occur to be British). And he could have achieved the skilled portion undefeated. Not a lot as a knockdown (nicely, perhaps one – extra on that to return).

The sheer cleanliness of that potential report is nearly sufficient to make you forsake patriotism for one night time. But when the burden of his résumé weighs on Usyk, he actually doesn’t present it.

“Yeah, no drawback,” Usyk stated with a shrug after being accosted within the ring by an embarrassed-looking Dubois following the Fury rematch. His trademark nonchalance was justified – he’d overwhelmed Dubois in August 2023, between his bouts with Joshua and the Gypsy King.

Suffocatingly chic, Usyk pressured the younger Londoner to take a knee figuratively and actually (in each the eighth and ninth rounds). The second time, Dubois waited out the depend earlier than rising. It bolstered the notion of a fighter whose resolve would collapse when it mattered most, a notion which started along with his first defeat to fellow Englishman, Joe Joyce.

There are two main causes, nonetheless, why the rematch is extra compelling than the primary battle would recommend: Dubois knocked Usyk down with a punch that was controversially dominated a low blow, and the challenger comes into the return contemporary from demolishing Anthony Joshua in 5 rounds.

First Defeat: The Path to Poland

Previous to the Joyce defeat, every little thing had been within the ascendency for Dubois. At simply 23 years outdated, he’d turn into British and Commonwealth champion, racking up a report of 15-0. The ‘Juggernaut’ was a serious check for the vacant European title.

Dubois and Joyce had been stylistic twins: front-foot boxer-punchers with big physiques. While Dubois had his moments, he had no reply to Joyce’s fundamental fashion and work price, fortified by his wince-inducingly freakish chin (hearsay has it 5 occasions the bone density of a median man) – which he seemingly had no qualms about utilizing as a defensive technique.

By spherical 5, Dubois’ mere mortal bone density lastly conceded to Joyce’s metronomic jab. Dubois kneeled and was counted out. The predictable criticism adopted: he’d give up.

Swallowed it. It was later revealed he’d suffered a fractured orbital bone, nerve injury, and retinal bleeding, which supplied some belated vindication.

Testomony to the younger man’s character, Dubois returned to the ring simply six months later and it took solely three fights and 7 rounds to choose up the WBA “Common” World title towards American Trevor Bryan.

His first defence towards Kevin Lerena virtually resulted in catastrophe – Dubois was down thrice within the first spherical and seemed on the verge of being stopped. Weak spot in his knee ligaments, relatively than glass in his chin. There may very well be no doubting his fortitude this time – he took out the South African within the third.

Even so, surgical procedures and just one camp with new coach Don Charles (changing Shane McGuigan) was hardly perfect preparation to face a generational nice in Usyk.

Controversial First Battle

Held in Wrocław, Poland, it was a homecoming of kinds for Usyk in lieu of a war-torn Ukraine. In army phrases, Dubois was seen as a ‘tender goal’ – a greener model of Joshua, who had twice been schooled by Usyk.

A downpour early within the battle, a half-full stadium, and even the all-white color scheme – canvas, ropes, and the champion’s shorts and gloves – created an odd, claustrophobic ambiance.

Usyk’s fashion is misleading, nothing notably dramatic about it on the floor, however near-perfect footwork facilitates fixed motion: circling, pivoting, gliding out and in of vary; all of it creates angles which confuse and frustrate. His southpaw jab is sharp, and his lead left hand controls his opponent’s guard and disrupts their rhythm. He then varies hand velocity and makes use of feints and stage adjustments to disguise energy punches.

Like many an opponent earlier than him, Dubois was systematically dismantled and pushed to exhaustion – the profitable knockdown scored with a single jab. Not that Dubois was with out success – particularly a pointy double jab adopted by his dynamite proper cross. Then there was spherical 5. A counter uppercut landed on Usyk’s belt line and put the champion on his bottom and exhaling in ache for over three minutes. The legality of that actual level on the belt line can be later topic to fierce debate.

Publish battle, seemingly on the behest of promoter Frank Warren, a overwhelmed and demoralised Dubois insisted he ought to be the champion with all of the conviction of a hostage video. His group had been extra forthright on the press convention to announce the rematch, which was much less typical argy-bargy and extra photographic evaluation (it could but show unwise for Dubois’ coach to name Usyk a cheat to his face).

After all, all of it overlooks the query: if the referee had began, might Usyk have overwhelmed the depend? Dubois won’t ever know the reply, however the query will give him confidence. Even when the shot was unlawful, it was not low sufficient to have an effect on Usyk’s virility, and physique photographs do appear to be one of many Ukrainian’s few vulnerabilities. In reality, Usyk will not be a heavyweight, he’s a cruiserweight of such mastery he turned champion of the marquee division. For all the benefits his smaller body offers by way of velocity and agility, he can not slip his physique half an inch in the identical manner he can his head – at occasions, he merely has to soak up the large forces a contemporary powerhouse can produce.

The closest Usyk has appeared to defeat is when pressured to backpedal within the center rounds of the second Joshua battle and the primary Fury battle. There’s no denying it: he has been visibly harm within the heavyweight division in a manner he by no means was as a cruiserweight.

For all his profound technical ability, it’s maybe his savvy capacity to navigate these momentary crises, keep a stoic expression till his head has cleared, that’s the reason he nonetheless holds all of the belts.

Usyk overcomes his opponent’s momentum along with his unbeaten trinity: composure; conditioning; counters. Endurance is a major issue. The likes of Dubois inevitably trade-off greater muscle groups for much less oxygen, and Usyk’s expertise for pacing 12 rounds is the same as a observe athlete executing the mile.

Dubois Destroys Joshua

Dubois as soon as once more bounced again from defeat with stoppage wins – this time towards stable opposition in Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgović. A key weapon was his robust, stiff jab, which inflicted injury in its personal proper while additionally organising his proper hand or well-delivered combos, usually flowing easily from head to physique. In addition they gave him the chance to indicate resilience when he acquired tagged, higher aggression at shut quarters, and a transparent want to not go the space.

These victories led to an all-British battle at Wembley Stadium final September with former world champion Anthony Joshua, a longtime family title courtesy of Olympic gold. In a blistering efficiency, Dubois knocked his compatriot down 4 occasions in 5 rounds. Joshua did handle to harm Dubois badly within the fifth spherical – however as he moved in with an uppercut, Dubois lastly dispatched him with a wonderfully timed counter proper.

Usyk, for his half, unified after which defended his titles towards Fury in Saudi Arabia – each shut, gruelling affairs. At 38, this can be his sixth consecutive heavyweight championship battle – to not point out the small matter of two months within the Territorial Military on the entrance traces of Kyiv between the Joshua fights. It’s virtually a decade since he gained his first cruiserweight world title. All of it begs the query: when is all of it going to meet up with him?

The Case for Dubois

Within the aftermath of the Joyce defeat, it could have been fanciful to consider Dubois would now be favoured by many to turn into the unified champion.

Quiet and reserved by nature, he has proven deep resolve to rebuild his profession. Dubois marched into the ring at Wembley Stadium towards Joshua – the one widespread opponent he shares with Usyk – with a glance of full self-assurance. How did they examine? Usyk fought twenty-four extremely aggressive rounds. Dubois handed out a five-round shellacking.

Dubois is solely not the identical man Usyk confronted two years in the past – now 27, Dubois is a mix of youth and expertise on the large stage. The coolness he confirmed when Joshua rocked him is telling. His response was no wild swing in desperation however a split-second calculation which resulted in a brutal knockout. There’s a sense every little thing is with the youthful man: momentum, confidence, house benefit.

The controversial low blow apart, he is aware of he shook Usyk each upstairs and downstairs throughout their first battle. Make no mistake: Dubois has the facility to knock out the champion.

Not like the dreary night time in Poland, each punch he lands will reverberate with a roar from over 90,000 followers – one thing which might’t assist however affect the judges. Factors victories, although, shouldn’t be on his thoughts. Utilizing a continuing jab, and protecting simply on the precise facet of recklessness, his finest likelihood is to decide to an all-out assault, by no means permitting Usyk to settle – wave after wave of highly effective combos for so long as he can maintain them.

It’s a dangerous technique, no query, however making an attempt to beat Usyk at his personal sport has confirmed a idiot’s errand. Dubois appeared to recognise as a lot on the pre-fight press convention: “Fireworks, it’s going to be bombs away on the night time. I’m going to be the one throwing bombs.”

Dubois has demonstrated these bombs are highly effective sufficient to harm Usyk, however this time he has the expertise and perception to go additional and seal victory.

The Case for Usyk

The anticipation of a Usyk regression is unfounded: he merely doesn’t flip in sub-par performances. Whether or not it’s Joshua’s petulance within the aftermath of his rematch, Fury resorting to low cost insults, or Dubois resigning on one knee – it’s the British challengers who’ve capitulated mentally. Usyk, alternatively, has remained bodily and psychologically stable. He additionally has 9 rounds’ expertise with the Londoner percolating in his strategic mind.

Dubois might have concussive energy but when explosiveness alone was sufficient, Usyk would have been relieved of his titles way back. Has Dubois’ win over Joshua flattered him? ‘AJ’ seemed a shadow of his former self and tactically at sea from the opening bell but nonetheless managed to ship Dubois reeling simply previous to the dramatic ending.

The comeback wins towards Miller and Hrgović, although spectacular, confirmed a number of defensive weaknesses stay unaddressed – most notably, combating in straight traces, which makes him weak for counters; and an inclination to drop his fingers while additionally protecting his head nonetheless. Above all, Dubois struggles with velocity and motion – exactly Usyk’s strengths.

These technical shortcomings could also be partly attributable to his dimension – 6’5’’ and 250 lb – however Dubois additionally opted to show skilled at 18 years outdated, relatively than keep within the Olympic system. Usyk turned professional at 26: a distinction of 275 beginner fights. Usyk is now one of many world’s most interesting boxers – a separation that occurred by means of pure capacity and years of improvement in adolescence and younger maturity, not one thing that may be closed at this stage of their careers.

Prediction

Usyk goes to must climate a storm within the early phases, one which can change into the fiercest of his profession. In the end, although, the hole between their elementary boxing skills will show too nice. Dubois’ expertise and renewed grit may even see him by means of to the ultimate bell, however Usyk will win a aggressive battle on the rating playing cards.

If Dubois does get his revenge and upend the division, it can stay within the reminiscence lengthy after Wimbledon winners and golf champions are forgotten. It is going to be one of many biggest accomplishments in British sporting historical past. On a summer time’s night time in London, when two nice fighters should search deeper inside themselves than ever earlier than, particular issues can occur.

And that’s merely unmissable.

Dubois vs Usyk II is stay on DAZN PPV, nineteenth July 2025.