Daniel Dubois will get another shot at the great Oleksandr Usyk before a bumper Wembley crowd on Saturday night.
Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) came up short when he took on Usyk in Worclaw in August 2023, falling well behind on the cards before being stopped in round nine.
But there are two factors that have served to stoke genuine intrigue around this rematch.
First, there is the low-blow controversy from fight one, when Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) was floored by a shot that referee Luis Pabon deemed to be illegal in round five. The champion was given ample time to recover before proceeding to dominate the remainder of the action.
Dubois hit Usyk on the beltline and, whether or not his shot was a foul polarised the boxing fraternity. More significant is the Briton’s run of form since losing to Uysk, with impressive wins over Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic in Saudi Arabia preceding a five-round demolition of Anthony Joshua at Wembley last September.
MORE: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois 2 start time: Live stream, price, full card, TV channel & more
It’s not as if Usyk has been inactive during the interim period. On the contrary, he defeated Tyson Fury to become undisputed heavyweight champion before once again besting the ‘Gypsy King’ in a rematch.
The IBF stripped Usyk of their title for agreeing to a return with Fury, upgrading Dubois from interim to full champion. Such sanctioning body politicking means Usyk has a chance to become a two-time undisputed champion, even though his grip on the division has never weakened. The fact that a 38-year-old former cruiserweight is testing himself once again against a monster puncher in the form of his life is where the true intrigue lies in this one.
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois 2 betting odds
Per Fanduel Sportsbook, Usyk is the -430 favourite. Dubois is priced at +300 to have his hand raised.
- Usyk via KO/TKO: +100
- Usyk via decision: +185
- Dubois via KO/TKO: +390
- Dubois via decision: +1200
- Draw: +15000
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois 2 expert prediction
It lacked the drama or the gore, but Dubois’ low blow on Usyk in their first fight is the most consequential foul in the heavyweight division since Mike Tyson bit chunks out of Evander Holyfield’s ears.
Low blow singular isn’t exactly accurate. Prior to the foul — which was a foul, an uppercut throw from the knees into Usyk’s protector — Dubois veered low several times. He repeated this when under pressure during his eventual wins over Miller and Hrgovic. As much as it might be fair to suggest a referee at a packed British stadium could be more likely to let Dubois’ indiscretions slide than Pabon was within a cauldron on Usyk support in Poland, the IBF champ has an unfortunate habit of giving officials decisions to make.
Nevertheless, Team Dubois — most vociferously his promoter Frank Warren and head trainer Don Charles — started spinning yarns as soon as Usyk had his arm raised. Never mind that Usyk was entitled to five minutes of recovery and took three minutes and 45 seconds after being hit low, never mind that we have no way of knowing that Usyk would have reacted in the same way had Pabon started a count; this was a robbery, plain and simple.
These claims have escalated to absurd and, frankly, offensive levels, with Charles going as far as questioning Usyk’s religious faith because – in his opinion – he lied and cheated to defeat his man. Charles might not really believe it, Warren might not believe it, but it’s been a very useful hypocrisy.
The Usyk loss had the potential to be fatal to Dubois’ career. As he did when he lost to Joe Joyce, the 27-year-old was counted out after taking a knee. There was unkind but understandable talk that Dubois lacked the required mental fortitude to prosper as an elite boxer. Fuelled by the fiction that he was robbed of heavyweight glory, ‘DDD’ has emphatically put those claims to bed.
Miller is a limited but huge man who never stops wading in to trade. Dubois came through the fire and stopped him in the 10th and final round. Hrgovic is one of the most concussive punchers in the division. He hit Dubois with several clean right hands but was battered into submission.
Then, on the night that will always to some extent define his career, Dubois stepped out at Wembley, a stadium Joshua made his own in the previous decade and obliterated his compatriot. Speaking to Boxing Scene’s Tris Dixon, Charles attributed 60% of Dubois’ improvement to psychological factors. Somehow, this feels like he’s underplaying it a little.
Another consequence of the low-blow controversy was it gave Tyson Fury another reason to think he could beat Usyk. The Ukrainian was weak to the body, although not weak enough to be hurt there over 24 rounds against Fury, where Usyk proved beyond dispute he is the greatest heavyweight of his generation.
Dubois has grown immeasurably as a heavyweight force since the first fight and Usyk has more miles on the clock. But we might see how little has actually changed at Wembley on Saturday night.
Usyk presents a far more multi-dimensional puzzle than Miller, Hrgovic and Joshua combined. Dubois will still be there to be hit and hit often with southpaw jabs and right hands. The intangible is to what extent and for how long will Dubois’ newfound confidence will hold up in the face of Usyk’s masterful skills.
The Briton might attack with more conviction this time and launch a few more second-phase assaults. If he’s hurt, he has more reasons to bite down on the gumshield and carry on, thrilling the home crowd in the process. But once we peel back the bluster and glory of Dubois’ past two years, unless Usyk has grown old overnight, there are not sufficient reasons to expect a different outcome.
Sporting News prediction: Usyk TKO 8/12 (+1300)
