Daniel Dubois revealed today that his plan to defeat IBF, IBO, WBA & WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk this Saturday, August 26th is to rough him up & “bully him” to win “by “any means necessary.”
Dubois (19-1, 18 KOs) is openly admitting that he’s going to cheat by using fouls to beat Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) in their twelve round main event contest at the Tarczyński Arena Wrocław in Wroclaw, Poland.
The 25-year-old Dubois says he will head-butt, use knees, and do whatever else he needs to do to subdue the unbeaten Usyk. If Dubois is permitted to run amok on Saturday, the referee will look like a useless third wheel.
Usyk is an outstanding fighter, but even he has his limitations if his opponent is allowed to run wild, not following the Marquess of Queensberry rules.
Dubois looked as serious as a heart attack when explaining what he intends to do on Saturday to rip the four heavyweight titles from Usyk by hook or crook.
We obviously know that fouling makes a huge difference, and there are all kinds of ways for an unscrupulous fighter to gain an edge if they’re allowed.
How fighters bend the rules:
- Rabbit punching – very popular and rarely policed
- Head-butting
- Stiff arm – holding the arm extended far in front to keep the opponent at bay. This is another cheating technique that incompetent referees rarely police
- Excessive clinching
- Body slamming
- Shoving
- Grappling
- Leaning – a tactic used by Tyson Fury
- Elbows
- Low blows
- Kneeing
- Punching to the back or thighs
If Dubois uses a mix of these fouling tactics, it could give him a considerable edge to go along with his 20+ lb weight, power & youth advantage over the 36-year-old Usyk.
That could be enough for Dubois to pull out a decision or perhaps score a knockout, especially if Usyk is incapacitated from a rabbit punch to the back of his head or a low blow.
Hopefully, there’s a quality referee working the fight to police the fouling from Dubois because the last thing we need is for him to go berserk with the fouling due to a useless referee failing to do his job to police the cheating.
Usyk vs. Dubois will be shown live on ESPN+ this Saturday, August 26th. The card begins at 2:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. PT.
“Definitely, that’s what they say, but it’s by any means necessary,” said Daniel Dubois to Secondsout about it being potentially difficult to win a decision against IBF, IBO, WBA & WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in Poland.
“That amateur style. Usyk has got that footwork and all of that. It’s no secret. Go in there and make it a rough fight. Go in there and bully him, and that’s what I’m going to do.
“Hit anything on sight. Hit arms, shoulders, head, and anything above the waist. I’m in fight mode, and honestly, it won’t matter to me on fight night,” Dubois said about the judges.
“I need to go in there and be smart and box out of my skin like I’ve never done before. It’s all about winning; that’s all that matters. My only focus now performing on the night. I’m tired & fed up, but I’ve got to keep going. That’s the main thing.
“Keep visualizing and staying in that fight mentality. All the time,” said Dubois when asked if he visualizes him beating Usyk. “As a fighter, you have to. It just comes with it.
“This is a massive moment for me, a massive opportunity. I’m a new man. I feel like this is a fresh start in my career. How does it end? Win by any means necessary that’s my mentality. Headbutt, knee
“Whatever you got to do on the night is all I’m thinking about. I’m a veteran. I’m only 25, but I’ve been doing this for a while,” said Dubois when asked if he thought he would be getting this opportunity at this stage of his career.
“I’ve been maneuvered properly, and I’ve won every test that they’ve put me in; I’ve come through it. Yeah, probably,” said Dubois on whether he faced any small, tricky southpaws when he was an amateur.
