Oleksandr Usyk could be on the brink of retirement and Daniel Dubois is determined to usher him over the edge.
Usyk and Dubois fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world at Wembley stadium next month.
But only this week it emerged that Usyk had split from long-term promoter Alexander Krassyuk. Dubois interprets that as a hint the Ukrainian is on the verge of quitting the sport.
Dubois, looking for revenge after losing his first fight with Usyk back in 2023, expects to be the opponent to bring Usyk’s career to a close. He believes their July 19 bout could be the last fight Usyk has.
“Probably, possibly yes, I’m going in there to do as much damage as possible,” Dubois told Sky Sports.
“These things are happening for a reason and I’m just going to be ready to take the titles away from him. But all these things are happening for a reason.”
Dubois will interpret contemplating retirement as a weakness in his rival champion. Often fighters who have an eye on their exit can be vulnerable to determined, younger opposition.
Nevertheless beating Usyk would be a monumental achievement. The brilliant Ukrainian is an Olympic gold medallist who has never lost a professional contest. He has already secured a place in the pantheon of the sport.
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Speaking on Toe2Toe, Daniel Dubois’ co-trainer Kieran Farrell says Dynamite can knock out anyone in the sport, including Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk’s place in history
He’s now seen as a worthy successor to Muhammad Ali, according to the grandson of “The Greatest”.
Usyk established himself as the best heavyweight of this era with two stunning victories over Tyson Fury last year, which encompassed the Ukrainian becoming the undisputed world champion in the division, a status he’d already held at cruiserweight.
He’s beaten Anthony Joshua twice, as well as those two Fury wins and has previously defeated Dubois.
Although the Ukrainian has only had 23 bouts, Biaggio Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali’s grandson, believes Usyk has done enough to go down as a legend in the sport.
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Speaking on Toe2Toe, Daniel Dubois’ trainer Don Charles and Barry Jones discuss what tactics could work against Oleksandr Usyk.
“He’s a very talented heavyweight,” Ali Walsh told Sky Sports. “My grandfather was 6 foot 3 too. Boxers in the heavyweight division now are 6 foot five to 6 foot nine now. So for him to be doing it at a height disadvantage, I would definitely consider him a legend.”
In an echo of what made Ali one of the greats, Usyk is a heavyweight champion freighted with political significance in his homeland.
“With what’s going on in Ukraine you’ve got Usyk stepping up and being that kind of light with his people,” Ali Walsh said.
“Obviously there are different circumstances and different things that the country’s dealing with at that time. But in his own way he’s doing something very similar I think.”
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Daniel Dubois is confident ahead of Usyk rematch
Boxing was of course a very different sport in Muhammad Ali’s time. “They called it the golden era for a reason,” Ali Walsh said.
“Those dudes were tough dudes. You had my grandpa, you had Joe Frazier, you had George Foreman, Sonny Liston. All these dudes were just killers. And I’m not saying they aren’t today but I feel like back then everybody fought everybody. Today it kind of like takes time for that to happen.
“If the money’s up, then it happens. Back then it was okay now we’re fighting. I think the biggest difference really is a mindset thing.”
