TONIGHT at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT LIVE & Exclusively on ESPN+: Challenger Daniel Dubois may need a miracle for him to unseat IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk tonight because his recent performances in the last three years suggest that he’s up the creek without a paddle.
It’s nice that Dubois’ promoter was able to skillfully maneuver him into a title shot against Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) after his poor performance against Kevin Lerena and after he quit against Joe Joyce, but that still doesn’t change the fact that the 25-year-old isn’t mentally prepared for this type of opponent.
Dubois & IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight champion Usyk will battle this Saturday night at the Tarczyński Arena Wrocław in Wroclaw, Poland. The card will be shown on ESPN+ at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT).
Usyk will only be outweighed by twelve pounds rather than 20+ as originally thought due to Dubois trimming down to 233 lbs for this fight.
If Dubois loses this fight, there will be many people questioning his decision to lose so much weight in camp because it would have been better if he’d come in heavier so he could use his size to crush his smaller opponent.
Dubois going into the lion’s den
“Metaphorically and physically, Daniel is going into the lion’s den, whether he likes it or not, against the ‘big Cat.’ We call him ‘The Cat.’ He’s known as ‘The Cat.’ He’s such a brilliant mover, Usyk,” said Gareth A. Davies to iFL TV.
Given that Dubois is so accustomed to fighting at home in England like many Brits, it’s going to seem like a lion’s den, considering he won’t be getting cheered nonstop. But if Dubois is mature enough to ignore the crowd, he should be fine.
It would have been better if Dubois had gotten more experience against A-level opposition before fighting a guy like Usyk because going from Kevin Lerena & Trevor Bryan is a monstrous jump-up in class.
“He has an amazing ring IQ; he’s been a ring general for over 24 rounds with Anthony Joshua,” said Davies. “He probably lost eight of 24 rounds, but he’s won the other rounds and, handsomely, some of them.
“What Daniel Dubois has got to look at. I think it’s the ninth round in that second fight with Joshua. I don’t know if he was hurt, but Dubois got to get him backpedaling. He’s got to get him under pressure.
“Oleksandr Usyk put out this narrative this week that he was playing when Chisora had him in trouble; not in trouble but was putting pressure on him, was being rumbustious and aggressive and tenacious and coming forward as he does peekaboo, rolling and rocking, letting his hands go with big heavy hooks from Derek.
“I think Dubois got to hunch down and do that himself but use his jab when he’s standing tall and really just try and apply his physical strength and superiority over Usyk. He cannot allow him to develop a rhythm because he will become a cat in there.
“Oh, Anthony Joshua’s got a massive single punch. I mean, he’s got amazing combinations, although he doesn’t seem to use them that much anymore, and I don’t think we saw so many counters from Anthony in that fight with Helenius. He was safety first,” said Davies.
Daniel’s last performance worrisome
The trouble is, with Daniel, it’s hard not to think about that fight with Joe Joyce, who’s obviously got a ramrod jab, and he battled well with that ramrod jab took,” said Davies. “He took the right hand away [from Dubois] because the jab does take the right hand away, doesn’t it?
The way Dubois looked against Lerena and Joe Joyce was dreadful. That’s why it would have been better for his promoter to hold off on putting him in with Usyk. Dubois should have gotten his feet wet first by fighting these heavyweights before facing Usyk:
– Arslanbek Makhmudov
– Frank Sanchez
– Jared Anderson
– Andy Ruiz Jr
– Deontay Wilder
– Zhilei Zhang
– Filip Hrgovic
“He [Joyce] was dominating in that fight. I’m glad he [Dubois] took a knee,” said Gareth. “A young man saved his career and lived to fight another day. Some people say he quit. I don’t think he did. That’s not how I describe it. Who knows what pain he was in at the time?
“I think the Kevin Lerena performance is slightly concerning, but obviously, he [Dubois] injured his knee. He was caught in the temple early in the fight, but he fought back on that one knee to finish Lerena. He was only a cruiserweight, but you could see Daniel’s heart.
“Trevor Bryan, it was an utterly dominant performance by the young fighter, and Bryan looked scared or fearful rather and out of his depth. So it’s all to play for for Daniel Dubois.
“People who’ve sparred with Dubois say he hits very, very hard. Do you know the old rumor that he’d knocked out Anthony Joshua That he’s knocked out a lot of people in sparring. He’s a very dangerous fighter,” Davies said.
Dubois with a lot to gain
“He’s a very big man, naturally powerful. I think it does,” said Gareth.” “He can’t overthink this. He’s got to look at it as a win-win, no matter what happens.”
If Dubois loses like he did against Joyce or performs like did against Lerena, it’s not going to be a win-win. That’s a lose-lose, regardless of how Dubois’ boxing fans want to spin i.
“This could be his coming out party, and he’s got to make it so. It’s not going to be popular if he wins, but I’ll tell you. It’ll be one of the great victories by a Brit abroad if he wins it.
“To rank with Tyson Fury beating Klitschko. To rank with Kell Brook beating Shawn Porter. To rank with Lloyd Honeyghan against Donald Curry. A magnificent Victory. He’ll be heralded as and also, of course, gives Frank Warren all the world’s heavyweight title belts.
“So there’s an awful lot here for the promoter and the young fighter, and I’m sure Daniel Dubois fancies a go at Tyson Fury,” said Davies.
