In a controversial fight, WBA/WBO/IBF heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) had to get up off the deck from a questionable low blow in the fifth round to later stop his WBA mandatory Daniel Dubois (19-2, 18 KOs) in the ninth round on Saturday night after the British fighter took a knee and was counted out at the Tarczyński Arena in Wroclaw, Poland.
Dubois was dropped in late in the eighth round after getting hit by a four-punch combination of shots from Usyk. The punches didn’t look good, but nevertheless, Dubois went down.
That’s a low blow. #UsykDubois #boxing pic.twitter.com/WhvEdZgRQr
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) August 27, 2023
Ignoring thee controversy over the fifth round low blow, it was weird how Dubois went down twice from seemingly light punches in rounds eight and nine. With that kind of low punch resistance, Dubois isn’t going to be a factor in the division moving forward.
None of the punches looked like they had enough power on them to send Dubois down, but he went down like he was trying to escape the bombardment he was under from Usyk.
In the ninth round, Usyk came out on fire, going after Dubois, hitting him with jabs and left hands. Usyk then connected with a jab, and surprisingly, Dubois went down and failed to beat the count. It was very strange because he didn’t look hurt and appeared to misjudge the count.
Earlier in the fight, Duboid landed a booming right hand on the beltline of Usyk, sending him down. The referee Luis Pabon, ruled it as a low blow and gave Usyk almost five minutes to recover. On replay, it looked like a beltline punch that took the air out of Usyk, who was in really bad shape for several minutes on the canvas.
After the contest ended, Dubois, trainer Don Charles & promoter Frank Warren complained bitterly about being robbed of a knockout from the fifth round body shot. Dubois says he was cheated, and his promoter, Warren, wants a rematch to be ordered. He says they’re going to appeal to get a rematch.
Assuming Team Dubois’ appeal is denied, Usyk will likely move on and face WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury next for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
Was it a low blow or a KO for Dubois? What do you think?
“Daniel should be world champion. Listen, it wasn’t a low blow,” said Frank Warren to iFL TV about Daniel Dubois’ beltline punch that was ruled a low blow in round five against IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk tonight in Wroclaw, Poland.
“On that heavy shot, you see, it’s actually on the waistband. The point where it’s low is when it’s below the waistband on the hips. That’s what was said at the weigh-in. That’s what it is.
“That was a legitimate punch, and he won the fight. How long was he out for? He should have been counted out. I generally did, and when he said, ‘Low blow.’
“We’re away from home. It should be fair and do the right thing. We’re going to appeal this, and the WBA will be able to order the rematch. It wasn’t a low blow. You’ve seen the film of it. They put it up on the screen, and everyone went quiet.
“Of course, I’m angry and annoyed about it, but what’s the point? I can’t change it. You can’t change anything tonight, so I’m not going to waste any energy on that. Our job is to ensure he gets the rematch.
“I’m gutted. Someone said four minutes or so,” said Warren when asked how long Usyk was on the canvas in the fifth round from the beltline shot from Dubois. “You’re allowed a maximum of five minutes.
“Why didn’t the referee take points off? It wasn’t a low blow. That’s what we’re going to work on. I’m really irritated,” said Warren when asked when the rematch between Usyk and Dubois would occur.
“Will put together a rematch. He’s very upset. He thought he had the fight won,” said Warren about Dubois.
