Oleksandr Usyk retained his IBF, WBA and WBO world heavyweight titles when he stopped Daniel Dubois in the ninth round of an increasingly dramatic fight which changed course after the champion had been hurt by a borderline punch which was ruled a low blow. Having dominated the fight with his superior skill Usyk was suddenly in real distress as he slumped to the canvas in round five after Dubois landed a heavy shot on the beltline.
Shaking his head and in obvious pain, the Ukrainian was allowed almost four minutes to recover. The referee might have considered it an illegal blow but he did not deduct a point from the 25-year-old British challenger, who then had his best spell of the fight. But Usyk dropped him twice to seal his victory in the early hours of Sunday morning in the Polish city of Wroclaw.
Heavy rain fell as the bout began but the fighters were protected by a canopy over the ring. Dubois struggled initially to find his range against the elusive and cat-like Usyk, who landed the more effective punches with his jab in the opening round. Dubois came out for the second with more deliberate intent but, halfway through, Usyk caught him with a beautiful left that startled the Londoner with its speed and power.
The champion’s slick movement meant Dubois landed only sporadic blows as Usyk delivered the sharper work again in the third. Dubois did at least try to go to the body and also used a double jab to remind Usyk that he needed to be vigilant. But the round belonged to the patient and adroit Usyk, who clipped Dubois repeatedly with his jab and a few blurring combinations.
Moving ceaselessly and counter-punching, Usyk must have heard the chorus of his name booming around the arena but, to his credit, Dubois managed to close the distance and make round four more competitive. It was still won by Usyk but then, 30 seconds into the fifth, Dubois unleashed a hard right hand which landed on or just below the belt. Usyk slumped to the canvas in agony and the referee immediately signalled that the blow was illegal. He sent Dubois to a neutral corner and allowed the distraught champion ample time to recover.
Dubois came after him aggressively as soon as the fight resumed for he could tell that Usyk was troubled. He looked to punish Usyk to the body but in the last minute of a tumultuous round the Ukrainian fought back strongly and drove Dubois against the ropes.
The nature of the fight had shifted and, while Usyk won the sixth with his sharp use of angles and superior hand speed, the best punch came from Dubois, who landed a withering left hook to the body. There was more of an edge to the battle and it looked as if Usyk was hurt again to the body two minutes into the seventh. He fought back with real urgency as if knew he needed to reclaim his previous dominance. It was unusual to see Usyk looking a little uncomfortable and eager to end the fight but Dubois, while trailing badly on the scorecards, cut a much more confident figure.
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
But near the end of a fiercely competitive round eight a chopping series of Usyk combinations, topped off by a cuffing blow to the head, sent Dubois tumbling to the canvas. The bell sounded soon after and Dubois had a minute to try to recover. But two minutes into the ninth round a straight right rocked Dubois and he went down heavily. The referee made the right decision to wave the fight over and spare Dubois further punishment.
Earlier in the week Dubois had promised to bring force and fire to the ring and he spoke, relatively convincingly, of his desire to bully and “rough up” Usyk before pummelling his way to an early stoppage victory. It was his only realistic hope of overcoming the prohibitive favourite whose intelligence and flair between the ropes always seemed likely to be too much for Dubois.
A few minutes after the fight a bitterly disappointed Dubois said: “I didn’t think that was a low blow … I’ve been cheated out of victory.”
The supposed illegality of the blow that gave Dubois his chance to become a surprising world champion will be debated intently. But at the end of a compelling contest, Usyk raised his hands in jubilation and just a little relief.
