Oleksandr Usyk withstood an outstanding challenge from Daniel Dubois, but not without controversy. Dubois was denied a knockdown after cleaving a hook at Usyk that the referee believed t
o be below beltline; "The governing body will have to look at that and order a rematch," remarked Frank Warren.
On Saturday night at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, Oleksandr Usyk knocked out Daniel Dubois after nine rounds.
The titles that Usyk had taken from Anthony Joshua and defended against him, the WBO, IBF, and WBA heavyweight belts, were still held by him.
But in order to prevail, Usyk had to withstand tremendous pressure and recover from a shot the referee believed to be a low blow.
The Ukrainian champion got the upper hand in the opening exchanges, catching Dubois with a combination of his dazzling southpaw punches and terrific variation.
But Dubois' right cleave into Usyk's beltline in the fifth round ignited the battle.
Usyk was knocked out with a shot that the referee determined to be an unintentional low blow. He was given the whole five minutes to rest, but it was obvious that he was in pain.
Even though Dubois may have been denied a knockdown, he continued his assault on Usyk's body when the fight resumed.
The Ukrainian's fortitude was put to the test, and Dubois continued to be aggressive by firing huge shots.
Hurt was Usyk. He eventually recovered, though, and delivered a stinging left hook to Dubois.
At the end of the eighth round, Dubois was knocked out by quick punches that landed him high on the head.
Usyk sent his advantage over the top in the
ninth round, and the British fighter went to his knees to be ruled out by the referee.
Despite losing, Dubois greatly improved his reputation. He entered as the WBA title's mandatory challenger, but despite his obvious punching power throughout his career, he had never defeated an opponent of the highest caliber, having lost to Joe Joyce when his tall London foe stopped him in 2020.
Usyk, on the other hand, is one of the most dominant boxers in any weight division. When the 2012 Olympic gold medalist won the World Boxing Super Series, he unseated Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev to unify all four of the main titles in the cruiserweight class.
After moving up to heavyweight, he kept his perfect record, ousting Anthony Joshua and soundly defeating him once more in Saudi Arabia the previous year.
Usyk has become an iconic figure in his homeland. His second fight with Joshua was put back so he could return to Ukraine when Russia invaded his country.
He took this defence of his titles to Poland, as close to Ukraine as possible under the current circumstances. Usyk, always an ambassador for his people, fights to represent his country and enjoyed rapturous support in the stadium.
He needed that inspiration when Dubois, unexpectedly, had him in grave trouble.
"I feel good. I'm grateful for my team, my family, my children. I love you. I'm grateful for my country and the Ukrainian army. Thank you so much," Usyk said afterwards.
"Boxing is a tough sport, but I am great. It's boxing. I love boxing. I respect my opponent, but it's boxing, not ballet. It's a king's sport."
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