Oleksandr Usyk cemented his status as the outstanding heavyweight of his generation with an emphatic fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois in their undisputed world title bout at London’s Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Victory saw Ukraine’s Usyk extend his unbeaten professional record to 24 fights as the WBA, WBC and WBO champion added his British opponent’s IBF belt to his collection.
Usyk dominated the opening four rounds and early in the fifth he dropped Dubois to the canvas.
Moments later he finished the fight in decisive fashion after a trademark left hook left his British rival unable to beat the count one minute and 52 seconds into the round.
It was the second time Usyk, at 38 some 11 years older than his opponent, had defeated Dubois following a ninth-round stoppage success in Krakow, Poland, in 2023, where the Briton was ruled to have landed an illegal low blow in the fifth round.
Lennox Lewis, the last British boxer to be undisputed world champion in 1999, forecast before Saturday’s fight that Usyk would face a vastly-improved Dubois, saying: “Dubois was a baby in the sport and now he’s a man…You’re not going to see the same Daniel Dubois from 18 months ago.”
But after Usyk was roared into the ring by a huge contingent of supporters, many of them waving Ukraine national flags in a 90,000 capacity crowd at Wembley, best known as the London base of England’s national football team, it was largely one-way traffic as their hero conducted a ruthless masterclass against local favourite Dubois.
“38 is a young guy, remember!,” Usyk told DAZN in the ring after dropping to his knees in celebration. “38 is only start!
“I want to say thank you to Jesus Christ. I want to say thank you to my team and Wembley, thank you so much! It’s for the people.
“Nothing is next. It’s enough, next, I don’t know. I want to rest. My family, my wife, my children, I want to rest now. Two or three months, I want to just rest.”
– ‘Modern-day legend’ –
Asked about his next opponent Usyk, who has already twice beaten former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, added: “Maybe it’s Tyson Fury. Maybe we have three choices, Derek Chisora and Anthony Joshua. Maybe Joseph Parker. Listen, I cannot now say because I want to go back home.”
Dubois insisted he would return to the ring, saying: “I have to commend him (Usyk) on the performance, I gave everything I had. Take no credit away from that man, I’ll be back.”
Meanwhile promoter Frank Warren, a veteran of the British boxing scene, said: “Usyk is a modern-day legend. In any generation he would be a great fighter. No complaints, the better man won on the night.
“It’s Joe Parker’s time.”
Usyk meanwhile basked in the adulation following the latest dazzling victory of a career that has seen him emerge as a national hero in his war-torn homeland.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was among the first to congratulate Usky on his victory.
“An undisputed champion. A legend. One of our own,” Zelensky wrote on X.
“Thank you for the strength and inspiration you give to the whole country with every victory. Thank you for stepping into each fight with Ukraine in your heart.”
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© Agence France-Presse
