Twice Daniel Dubois has tried to unseat Oleksandr Usyk. On both occasions he’s failed, but could the new WBO heavyweight champion finally be ready to defeat the great Ukrainian?
Dubois’ first attempt at Usyk came in 2023, when he challenged the unified champion for the WBA, WBO and IBF belts in Poland. In that fight, Usyk rose from a blow deemed to be below the belt and ultimately bamboozled Dubois to see him counted out in the ninth round.
Usyk shed the IBF title between his two fights with Tyson Fury. Dubois secured that championship and knocked out Anthony Joshua in 2024. Buoyed by that success, he tried again against Usyk last year. But in that undisputed fight Usyk knocked him out even quicker, dispatching the Londoner in the fifth round.
Dubois, though, has rebuilt and reclaimed a world title after coming through an epic brawl with Fabio Wardley on May 9.
His promoter, Frank Warren, believes Dubois is now in a better position to beat Usyk.
“I’d like to see Daniel in with him again,” Warren told Sky Sports. “He’s grown up mentally. Physically, he’s there but mentally he’s grown into this now and I would like see that fight again, I really would. We will see.
“You know it’ll be a fight while it lasts.”
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Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley in the 11th round of an incredible heavyweight battle and became a two-time world champion. Fight highlights courtesy of DAZN.
Warren thinks the fight with Wardley has been a turning point for Dubois. “It was a tough fight, but I genuinely believe that fight will bring him on even more,” he said. “He grew up mentally in that fight. He applied himself. His focus was there and his determination came through for him.”
Dubois is only 28 years old but Warren believes he already has a Hall of Fame worthy career.
“When you look at AJ being elected, he’s been put forward to go in there, a two-time world champion quite rightly – he beat AJ. He done a job that no one else done on AJ,” the promoter noted.
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Speaking on Toe2Toe, Andy Clarke and Charlie Edwards look ahead to Oleksandr Usyk’s showdown with kickboxing superstar Rico Verhoeven.
Dubois’ team also consider their man to be a sufficiently improved fighter to take on Usyk a third time.
“We looked at Daniel and how to maximise his performances in and out of the ring,” Mohammed Ali, Dubois’ head of boxing performance analysis, told Sky Sports.
“Usyk has a very scientific approach, as you know, and his approach was very calm, very collected, didn’t say too much, although there was a lot happening in the background.
“The experience that Usyk has over Daniel, that’s all it was. The experience that he has, and that’s exactly what was portrayed on the night, is the difference in how Usyk was handling it.
“However if there was a third fight, I can guarantee you it would be the same approach of what you saw with Fabio and even better.”
Don’t miss Chris Billam-Smith vs Ryan Rozicki live on Sky Sportson June 6.
