Usyk has never been so evil. Alexander’s nervous but victorious battle.
Aug 27, 2023 01:35 UTC Audio Version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
The dynamite did not last until the final gong.
On August 26, a great boxing evening took place in Wroclaw (Poland). In the main event, reigning WBA Super, WBO, IBF, IBO and The Ring heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and Britain’s Daniel Dubois squared off.
For Usyk, this is the second defense of the belts. Before that, he had twice clashed with another UK representative, Anthony Joshua. Both times Alexander won the fight by referee decision. After that, the champion was expected to try to unify the titles in a duel with the undefeated Tyson Fury, but the parties did not agree on a contract and the boxing world lost its most important fight. Usyk did not want to sit idly by for long and got a new opponent, who is a mandatory contender in the WBA line.
The main events of the boxing evening with the main fight Usyk – Dubois
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Usyk – Dubois: Oleksandr was on the canvas, but he still won by knockout! LIVE
In fact, Daniel Dubois had the opportunity of a lifetime at the age of 25. The Briton is considered a very promising boxer, but he had not had opponents of Usyk’s caliber before. The biggest name in Dynamite’s history is Joe Joyce, to whom he ultimately lost. Yes, a huge bruise intervened in the matter, which did not allow Dubois to continue the fight, but his record, however, is defeated. After that, Daniel successively stopped Bogdan Dina, Joe Cusumano, Trevor Bryan and Kevin Lerena. None of these opponents were able to get past the fourth round. Therefore, the main question that was asked before the fight between Usyk and Dubois is whether his firepower will help the challenger, or the technique and skill of the champion will neutralize this advantage.
Usyk from the first minutes of the battle showed speed both in his hands and feet, for which he dealt good blows several times. Dubois was moving slower, not in a hurry and looking for an opportunity to hit hard. From the second round, the boxers began to exchange more actively, but the champion’s advantage was quite pronounced. This, however, did not prevent the rival from unloading periodically with good series. Daniel generally seemed calm, kept up the punch and didn’t falter under pressure.
After two rounds, Dubois started to respond better. He still conceded from time to time, but there were already high-quality responses in the form of counterpunching and good body work. It became apparent that Dynamite was well prepared and understood how to give Usyk trouble. The three-minute fifth period began with the fact that Alexander missed a blow to the groin region and took a few minutes to recover. After a forced break, the grade in the ring clearly increased, and the fighters got excited. Dubois actively lobbied but received impressive responses.
In the seventh round, Dynamite was truly in danger for the first time, missing a series of blows to the head and only a gong saved the Brit from big trouble. Usyk took control of the fight and set the pace for him, forcing Dubois to defend heavily. Daniel himself was mainly aiming at the body, but obviously slowed down. In the eighth round, Daniel even knelt under the powerful pressure of the champion and was again saved by the gong. So the landscape did not change. Usyk pushed and at the same time showed excellent physical condition, and Dubois basically survived. In the middle of the ninth round, the Briton fell back into a knockdown and was no longer able to continue the fight.
They expected competition from Dubois, they hoped he could find arguments against the champion, but the challenger couldn’t resist Usyk’s pressure. Alexander showed a dominating performance and successfully defended the world champion title. Fury ahead?