Assessing the advantages of Usyk over Dubois
On August 26, WBA/WBO/IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will fight his 21st professional fight. In Poland, the Ukrainian will defend his belts against Daniel Dubois, the mandatory contender of the World Boxing Association. The Ukrainian is the clear favorite of the fight with the British. We explain why.
Experience
Both boxers have 20 fights in the professional ring. Usyk has all wins, Dubau has 19 wins and one loss. At the same time, Usyk covered the distance of 20 fights in 10 years, Dubois – in six. But in terms of the quality of the opposition, the British are far from the Ukrainians.
In 20 fights, Usyk went 168 rounds. His 19 opponents had a combined record of 473 wins and 79 losses. Four of these opponents at the time of the meeting with Usyk had no defeats. Seven opponents – Glowacki, Hook, Briedis, Gassiev, Belew, Chisora and Joshua (have had championship fights in their careers or even owned the title at one time).
Dubois 20 fights in the pro ring fit in 63 rounds. 20 of his opponents in total had a record of 306 wins and 44 losses. Six boxers at the time of the meeting with Dubois did not have a defeat in the professional ring, including Marcus Kelly, who fought in the second professional fight at the time of the meeting with Dubois. The Briton had only one fighter who had experience in championship fights at the time of the meeting with him – Trevor Bryan.
Skills
Usyk’s heavyweight boxing intelligence and IQ is probably only matched by Tyson Fury. Technical equipment, phenomenal footwork, an amazing sense of distance and the will to win make the Ukrainian an almost universal fighter. It’s hard to tell if there’s a component of boxing where Dubois has an advantage, except perhaps for punching power.
This factor is far from decisive, but worrisome. Joshua once in two fights managed to put Usyk in a difficult position. Chisora broke the pace with powerful body shots. If all together Dubois succeeds, it will be interesting to see how the Ukrainian will get out of difficult situations.
Arena
Dubois is currently a home boxer with just two fights outside of Britain. Tarczynski Arena cannot be called home to Usyk either. But, firstly, the Ukrainian is no stranger to fighting abroad – Usyk spent 12 fights outside his native country. Secondly, perhaps for the first time in the last eight years, Alexander will receive truly powerful support from the fans: there are a lot of Ukrainians in Poland now, plus it’s easier to get to this country than to Britain or Saudi Arabia, where Usyk fought Joshua.
Motivation
Usyk has repeatedly stated that he is boxing for Ukraine, now he is also fighting for the Ukrainian military, who are protecting our country from Russian invasion. Alexander is a frequent guest on the front lines, a volunteer helping the country and donating serious money for its restoration. Before the battle, Usyk also received a kind of “respect” from the Armed Forces of Ukraine – an icon from the soldiers fighting on Bakhmut. All these factors will definitely become an additional motivation for Alexander, adding to another, very important one.
We are talking about the main boxing goal of Usyk – the status of the absolute world champion in the second division in a row and the fight with Tyson Fury. The situation in heavyweight has developed in such a way that the first part of the task is impossible without the second. And if so, then Usyk should be set up properly for a duel with Dubois. After all, losing in it will put an end to his goals and ambitions.
Lack of revenge clause
In the contract for the fight with Dubois, there is no clause on immediate revenge in case of defeat of the Ukrainian. Yes, perhaps this is because the Usyk-Dubois fight is a mandatory defense for the Ukrainian. And, perhaps, because of the confidence of Alexander. As mentioned above, for Usyk the priority is the fight with Fury, which can take place in the winter. And if so, then indeed, it is not very logical to bind yourself with contractual obligations.
And if so, then the Ukrainian has no choice – today it is imperative to win.
Instead of a resume
Usyk is the clear favorite of the fight. In almost all components, he surpasses Dubois. He fought really high-class fighters and defeated them on foreign territory. He has shown that he knows how to get out of difficult situations and concentrate on combat and training in the most unsightly times. His defeat will be a very loud sensation. But something special must happen for Alexander to allow such a development of events.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ben Stock and I work in Athletistic as an author. My specialty is covering football news and other related topics. I have been writing for this website since the past 2 years, crafting compelling stories with the latest updates in the sports world. My articles have gained widespread appreciation amongst readers due to their accuracy and depth of research.
