Eddie Hearn explains theory behind Oleksandr Usyk's "slow and tired" performance

31 August 2023 , 10:41

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Eddie Hearn explains theory behind Oleksandr Usyk's "slow and tired" performance

Eddie Hearn has questioned whether Oleksandr Usyk was injured heading into his world title fight with Daniel Dubois.

Usyk defended his unified heavyweight world titles last weekend by stopping Dubois in the ninth round. The win was overshadowed by controversy as Usyk was dealt a low blow in the fifth round but many fans were convinced the punch was legal and Dubois' team have since appealed the loss.

Dubois was holding his own before being stopped despite Usyk cruising his way to a decision win, but Hearn thinks the Ukrainian didn't look great on the night. "I thought Usyk didn’t look himself from the first bell," he told the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel. "I thought his feet looked slow, I thought he looked tired, I thought, like he’d aged. Was it the pressure of fighting pretty much at home? He hasn’t done that very often at all? Was he injured? Why use a small ring?"

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"Whenever I see a fighter that likes to move and use a small ring, it tells me they’ve got a problem. It tells me they don’t wanna move a lot. Which is very unusual for Usyk, cause if you’re fighting Daniel Dubois I think you would like a bigger ring. Was there an injury? Was there an operation? I don’t know. He still won every round.”

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Usyk insisted he is ready for an undisputed fight with Tyson Fury next but 'The Gypsy King' must first get past Francis Ngannou in their October crossover fight. Hearn was baffled by many boxing purists claiming that Dubois' low blow was a legal punch and he urged the Brit to show more gut when the going gets tough in his fights.

"I don't see how you can watch that back and think there is any right to an appeal or rematch. I was quite baffled at how many people said it was a legal blow. I don't understand how if you receive a blow below the naval and halfway up the shorts that it's anything but illegal, but I would do the same as you jockey for your fighter," Hearn added.

"I think Daniel Dubois has to show more resilience when things get on top, because the first knockdown nothing much landed clean and he tried not to beat the count. The second knockdown, he definitely tried not to make the count, granted it was a stiff jab you've got to get up."

Harry Davies