Oleksandr Usyk beat Daniel Dubois back in 2023 (Image: Getty)
Oleksandr Usyk gave Daniel Dubois an ice-cold response when the Briton asked for an immediate rematch in the wake of his 2023 loss. The undefeated Ukrainian met with ‘DDD’ in Wroclaw, Poland, to defend his collection of WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight belts, handing Dubois the second loss of his promising career via a ninth-round knockout.
However, Dubois felt aggrieved by the bout after his own knockdown earlier in the fight could have seen him have his hand raised instead – had it not been ruled illegal. Dubois dropped to the canvas in the fifth round with a brutal right hook to the body. However, referee Luis Pabon ruled the strike as landing below the belt, allowing the champion to recover after calling for a timeout.
The fight continued until the ninth, where Usyk buckled Dubois with a stiff right hand to the head, the Briton ultimately failing to make it back to his feet in time to continue fighting. When asked about the prospect of an immediate rematch in the ring, Usyk coldly refused to give his word, instead jokingly offering him a brawl on the streets of Poland.
Speaking during the post-fight press conference, Usyk said: “I’m ready for rematch tomorrow in a street fight. I’m ready. Not boxing gloves, but a street fight.” Elsewhere, speaking about the fight, Dubois said: “I didn’t think that was a low blow.
“I thought that landed and I’ve been cheated out of victory tonight. What else can I say? That was a win tonight. But you know what? I’ve got to come again.” Fast forward to 2025, and the two men are yet to give fans a rerun of their first dust up, despite the best efforts of Dubois.
Usyk became the first undisputed champion at heavyweight since the Lennox Lewis era when he in Saudi Arabia last May, before handing the a second consecutive loss – this time unanimous – . And Dubois was watching from the wings during the second encounter, primed and ready to call out Usyk for a rematch of his own.
Daniel Dubois is ready to run it back with Oleksandr Usyk (Image: Getty)
Rushing into the ring in the wake of Usyk’s second win, Dubois said: “Usyk, I want my revenge. I want my revenge Usyk. Well done on tonight, well done on tonight. God bless. I want my revenge for the robbery last time. Let’s get it, let’s go.”
A fight between the two heavyweights is yet to be scheduled, and Usyk has since recalled the bizarre call-out from December. Speaking to , he said: “I thought, ‘What are you doing here? This is my place’. After the fight [Dubois said], ‘Hey, listen, I want rematch…’ Just say good job.”
However, Dubois has still been insistent on a rematch with the Ukrainian phenom, recently telling : “We’ve all got to grow up sometime. Run it back. My next fight I’m working towards, I’m ready for it now.”
However, should Dubois have any hopes of facing Usyk for his WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, IBO belts, he will first have to get through Joseph Parker. Some fans of the sport were baffled by Dubois’ callout of Usyk in December, given that he already had a fight with the New Zealander scheduled at the time.
Dubois puts his IBF title on the line when the two men go toe-to-toe at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening in a heavyweight brawl for the ages. The Briton has yet to defend his newly found crown after winning it by back in September, but he is hopeful that he will keep it with him after facing Parker.
Speaking on his opponent ahead of Saturday’s showdown, Dubois said: “I don’t know if I’m under his skin. I know what I’m here for, what I have been training in camp for now. I just feel like I’ve got to be better, stronger, faster, everything, what you’re talking about, the face-off, that was a bit of fun. I’ll make him quit.”