Daniel Dubois claims he was cheated out of victory after dropping Oleksandr Usyk

26 August 2023 , 22:39

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Oleksandr Usyk holds his groin in pain (Image: Getty Images)

A devastated Daniel Dubois insisted he should be the heavyweight world champion after being "cheated out" of victory over Oleksandr Usyk.

Dubois was stopped in the ninth round by Usyk when the Ukrainian dropped his British challenger for the second time. But four rounds earlier, Dubois landed a body shot which left the champion writhing on the canvas. The shot looked to be low but replays later showed the right hand landed on Usyk's belt.

Referee Luis Pavon called the shot a 'low blow' and gave Usyk almost four minutes to recover. He did so, and eventually stopped Dubois to hold on to his three world titles. But Dubois said: "I didn't think that was a low bow, I think it landed and I've been cheated out of victory. I won tonight but I will have to come back."

Oleksandr Usyk dropped and stopped Daniel Dubois (Getty Images)

Dubois' promoter Frank Warren added: "He's been cheated, it hit him on the waistband. That's all he worked on in camp, to the body, we saw it as a weakness and the referee got it badly wrong. I like Usyk but that was a hometown decision. He won the fight because he was not fit to go on and they gave him a couple of minutes to recover from a legitimate shot."

Ultimately, Usyk kept hold of his WBA, IBF and WBO belts with a 14th knockout win in 21 fights, much to the delight of the large contingent of his fellow Ukrainians who have resided in Poland since Russian’s invasion of their country last year.

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The crowd at the Tarczynski Arena chanted "Usyk, Usyk, Usyk" as the action got under way with Dubois determined not to be overawed. The 25-year-old Londoner tried to hold the centre of the ring but Usyk’s accurate jab saw him shade the opening round.

Dubois was more adventurous at the start of the second but was briefly set back on his heels by some powerful shots. Usyk stayed on the outside to dominate the next two rounds but Dubois was proving many pre-fight predictions wrong by remaining in the contest.

Dubois caught Usyk with a low blow in the fifth that put the Ukrainian down but was deemed accidental. While some observers might have considered the punch to be on the belt line, Usyk was given time to recover. But Dubois sensed this was his moment and the pair traded heavy punches.

The bad feeling between the pair was evident as the bell sounded and Dubois continued to focus on the Ukrainian’s body in the sixth. Usyk upped the pace in the seventh, forcing Dubois to take a backward step and leaving the Londoner marked for the first time.

Dubois recovered in the eighth but in the final 10 seconds he was dropped to the canvas. He managed to get back to his feet as the bell sounded but there was to be no respite for Dubois. Usyk charged in again and put down Dubois again for the referee to wave the fight off.

Martin Domin