The reaction of the boxing community to the most controversial moment of the Usyk-Dubois fight. From “clean knockout” to “100 low blows”

August 26 in Wroclaw WBA/WBO/IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk defended titles against Daniel Dubois. Usyk won by technical knockout in the ninth round, having recorded his 21st victory in the professional ring and the 14th ahead of schedule. True, the British team said that it would protest the result of the fight, relying on the referee’s mistake in the fifth round of the Usyk-Dubois fight.

Then the Briton struck in the inguinal region of the Ukrainian. Usyk fell to the canvas, the referee recorded a low blow, giving the Ukrainian time to recover. According to Dubois’s team, the kick was clean. Many experts in the field of boxing adhere to the same opinion. Although it must be admitted, the assessments of the episode were divided. We have collected the most interesting of them.

Dubois himself, as expected, believes that he was robbed. “I don’t think it was a low blow. I was thrown with a victory. What else can I say? They threw me, but I have to return, ”said the Briton.

Usyk confirmed that the blow fell on the groin and was very painful. “I respect my opponent, but this is boxing, not ballet. This is boxing, the royal sport. How do I rate Dubois’ power? No way. I only felt a blow in the groin,” said the Ukrainian.

Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren says Daniel’s shot was clean and the Briton had been preparing the move in training camp. “The blow fell on the gum. Dubois was in training camp just working on that, on body shots. The referee made a very wrong decision. If it was a low blow, then why didn’t he deduct a point from Daniel? Usyk is a hero. We all love Ukraine and what Ukrainians are fighting for. But the sanctioning body must do something and appoint a revenge. We’ll file an appeal and see where we go next. The main thing is that Usyk stopped the legitimate shot that Daniel was working on, ”said the manager.

It is clear that Dubois coach Don Charles is sure that his ward is right. “He always pretends that the opponent hits him below the belt. This is his trick, which should be eradicated. We know it’s boxing, but we don’t like being lied to. This is a lie. There can be nothing else here, ”said the coach.

But the ex-world champion, British boxer Liam Smith believes that the referee did the right thing by fixing a knockdown and two opportunities for Usyk to recover. “It was a low blow, regardless of whether Usyk’s bandage was high or not (it should have been lowered at the beginning of the fight if it seemed to the Dubois team that it was high. It just hit below the belt. Yes, Usyk played for time, because he allowed, but no one can answer whether he would have remained on the canvas if the referee had opened the score, ”said the boxer.

Solidarity with Smith and another ex-world champion from Britain, Usyk’s former rival Tony Bellew. Anything below the navel is considered a groin punch in boxing! This is not my opinion, this is a fact! These are the rules! Your underpants should not cover your navel, because if they cover it, then you can hit the elastic. This image says a thousand words! If you feel bad once, then you will feel bad again – this is also a fact.

Well-known boxing journalist Mike Copinger is of the same opinion. “The expression on Usyk’s face says it all… It’s the pain of a man who just got hit right in the groin.”

His colleague, well-known insider Den Rafael, agrees with him. “Let’s be clear: the hit in round 5 was 100% low blow. The glove was below the line of Usyk’s shorts, which were already worn low.”

But the famous British boxer Josh Taylor thinks differently. “It was a body blow! Nowhere close to his eggs. In fact, he landed in the navel, which was covered by protection. It’s a body shot.”

The opinion that Dubois hit Usyk cleanly is also promoted by the British journalist and employee of Warren Den Sahni’s company “Daniel Dubois knocked out Oleksandr Usyk tonight with a body blow and should become the unified world heavyweight champion.”

American basketball player Damian Lillard believes Dubois’ shot was clean. “Usyk is truly a beast… and one of my favorite fighters to watch. But it wasn’t a low blow.”

Another well-known journalist, Michael Benson, believes that the referee could also start the countdown. “It could have been a clean shot from Daniel Dubois. Controversial, right on the belt line. Usyka could have been knocked out if the referee didn’t consider it a low blow.”