At the same time, Daniel tries not to focus on that episode.
IBF Heavyweight Belt Holder Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20 KO) recalled a scandalous episode in a confrontation with the WBO/WBA/IBO/WBC heavyweight champion Alexander Usik (22-0, 14 KOs).
“Did I give Usyk a harder fight than Anthony Joshua did in their two fights? I’m not sure. I know I definitely hurt him with a body shot, but he grabbed his balls.”
“It’s in the past now. You know, I’ve become a better person since then, and I think my last two fights were tests, fights that built me, strengthened me, strengthened my character. Now I’m ready to go out there and defend this belt.”
On August 26 last year in Wroclaw, Usyk fought Dubois. In the fifth round, Usyk ended up on the floor after Dubois hit the Ukrainian below the belt.
The referee gave Alexander time to recover, after which the fight continued. Dubois said that the blow was clean and he was deprived of a legitimate victory.
At the end of the eighth round, Usyk knocked Dubois down, but the Briton managed to get up and continue the fight. And in the ninth round, the Ukrainian knocked out the Briton after another accurate blow.
Let us recall that on September 21, Daniel will fight Anthony Joshua. The arena for the event will be London’s Wembley Stadium. There, Dubois will defend his IBF heavyweight title, which he received after Usyk gave up the belt.
The fight will be the headliner of a big night of boxing. The undercard will feature fights such as Tyler Denny vs. Hamza Shiraz, Anthony Kasame vs. Josh Warrington, Liam Smith vs. Josh Kelly, Joshua Buatsi vs. Willie Hutchinson and Mark Chamberlain vs. Josh Pudley.
Dubois finished the fight with Filip Hrgovic in the eighth round. The fight took place as part of the “5 on 5” event in Riyadh. The British heavyweight won the title of “interim” IBF champion in the fight with the Croatian.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
