Usyk stops Daniel Dubois in round nine of heavyweight world title fight Photo credit: Kacper Pempel/Reuters
BY Jonathan Ledger
Oleksandr Usyk successfully defended his WBA ‘Super’, IBF and WBO heavyweight title belts with a ninth-round knockout of Britain’s Daniel Dubois at the Tarczynski Arena, Poland in the early hours of Sunday.
The dominant Ukrainian floored his opponent twice before claiming a victory that improved his unbeaten record to 21-0, with 14 knockouts.
It was Usyk’s second successful defence of the titles he won by defeating Anthony Joshua, the British-Nigerian boxer, in September 2021.
The win in front of a largely Ukrainian crowd was marred by a controversial decision in the fifth round when Usyk was floored.
Luis Pabon, the referee, ruled a body shot that dropped Usyk to the canvas as a low blow despite replays showing it landed on the belt.
Pabon also allowed Usyk to recover for five minutes despite the readiness of the Ukrainian fighter to resume the fight after three minutes.
Usyk was however the better boxer on the night and dominated the rounds with superior jabs before delivering a flurry of punches in the eighth round to floor Dubois.
The 36-year-old knocked down 25-year-old Dubois again in the ninth round, prompting the referee to stop the fight after counting out the challenger.
“I feel good. I am grateful for my team, my family, my children. I love you. I am grateful for my country and the Ukrainian army. Thank you so much,” Usyk said after the fight.
“Boxing is a tough sport, but I am great. It is boxing. I love boxing. I respect my opponent, but it is boxing, not ballet. It is a king’s sport.”
On his part, Dubois maintained he did not land a low blow while alleging “I was cheated out of victory”.
“I do not think that it was a low blow. I have been cheated out of victory,” he said.
“That was a win tonight. But I will come again.”
Usyk could face Tyson Fury, the unbeaten British boxer and WBC champion, in his next bout to determine the heavyweight’s undisputed champion.
Watch the video highlights from Usyk vs. Dubois fight below:
Photo credit: Kacper Pempel/Reuters
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