By Jake Tiernan: Challenger Daniel Dubois says he saw fear in the eyes of unbeaten IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk during their face-off today at the kick-off press conference for their fight on August 26th in Wroclaw, Poland.
Dubois (19-1, 18 KOs) looked like a big lump standing next to Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs), dwarfing him and showing no emotion on his face as he stared at the three-belt champion.
Daniel’s lack of speed and head movement is going to make him an easy target for the punches from the faster Usyk, and this fight could get out of hand early. Dubois quit once in his loss to Joe Joyce and could do it again next month.
Despite the huge size advantage, Dubois has a mountain to climb going up against the 2012 Olympic gold medalist Usyk, as he’s worlds better and far more experienced as a pro and amateur.
You can argue that Dubois has done zilch to deserve a title shot, other than being in the right place at the right time to fight a weak secondary WBA champion Trevor Bryan last year to capture his title.
Dubois looked awful in his last fight against former cruiserweight Kevin Lerena, getting dropped three times in the first round by the much smaller fighter.
Dubois would have been stopped if not for a patient referee Howard Foster letting it go on. You can argue that most refs would have pulled the plug after the third knockdown, but Foster let it go on for some reason.
“I’ve just had a good look at him, his size and everything, and I’m ready for the challenge ahead. I’m ready to take those belts,” said Daniel Dubois to Secondsout about Oleksandr Usyk.
Does Dubois have the talent to win a real-world title against a talent like Usyk? Few boxing fans think so.
If Dubois loses this fight, the World Boxing Association needs to drop him to the bottom of their rankings and not move him up again until he starts beating quality opposition because the #1 ranking they gave him came from victories over poor opposition.
Dubois’ last ten wins:
– Kevin Lerena
– Trevor Bryaan
– Joe Cusumano
– Bogdan Dino
– Ricardo Snijders
– Kyotaro Fujimoto
– Ebenezer Tetteh
– Nathan Gorman
– Richard Lartey
– Răzvan Cojanu
“They’re all writing me off, I’m the underdog and all that but time will show, and I’ll come out on top. I saw fear,” said Dubois when asked what he saw in the eyes of Usyk during today’s kick-off press conference for their fight on August 26th.
Of course, Dubois is being written off. With the way he looked against Lerena and Joyce, you got to write him off. It’s not like Dubois has beaten talented opposition during his career that would make you ignore those two performances. He’s been matched with utter care by his promoter, making him look better than he actually is.
“I know he’s a great champion, but we’re coming, and we’re coming to make history,” said Dubois. “It depends on what you’re looking at. He’s a cruiserweight and coming up to heavyweight,” Dubois said of Usyk, who has been fighting at heavyweight since 2019.
“I think all that I’ve got, I feel like I’ve got my speed, my strength, and just raw ability and more power, and I feel my best is enough. You don’t get these moments too often. The opportunities like this don’t come around all the time. So I’m ready to step up and show up and take home the belts in this.
“No, he’s a southpaw, you can’t disrespect that, and he’s a world champion. He’s proven himself and the talking out in a way I want to get in there and fight and show that I’m hungry and I want this bad.
“I’m making all the sacrifices I need to, and I’m ready to knock out whoever I’ve got to do to prepare myself out and putting on a show and just changing boxing,” said Dubois.
