Some of us absolutely loathe the term quitter, especially when it is hurled at a fight, a ring warrior, who so totally does not deserve it. So often, it’s all too easy for an armchair critic to lob the “Q” word at a fighter.
Derek Chisora is, as we know, no armchair critic; the British veteran is instead a man who has been there, done it all, and is still ready to rumble. But Chisora, speaking about last night’s return fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois, has accused Dubois of quitting.
Dubois was, as we all saw, dropped twice in the fifth round, and Chisora seems to be of the full belief that Dubois could have gotten back up and carried on with his challenge of unified heavyweight king Usyk.
Speaking with Seconds Out, Chisora said Dubois let himself, his team, and his fans down when the moment of truth came in that fifth round.
“He quit. He quit again – yeah, man. I don’t understand,” Chisora said. “They were supposed to train differently. They did not. It was set up for him to win it.”
Chisora Blasts Dubois’ Quitting
Chisora, refusing to mince his words, went on to say Dubois “quit when he walked in the ring.” Chisora said Dubois did not use his double jab, that he did not “hunt” Usyk the way he hunted Anthony Joshua when he fought him last September. Chisora also stated that fans were expecting to see Dubois “go nuts” and detonate some serious firepower on Usyk – or at least try to do so.
Now, Dubois had to listen to the critics calling him a quitter after his first fight with Usyk, which he lost via ninth-round stoppage in August of 2023. And Dubois is now having to hear the claims again. But is Chisora being too hard on Dubois here? Usyk really did crack Dubois with some wicked power in the 5th round last night at Wembley Stadium, and it is possible his crisp, accurate shots would have dropped quite a few heavyweights. We will perhaps never know what was going through Dubois’s mind during those hectic seconds in round five, but Chisora has made his thoughts on the matter very clear indeed.
Will some other fellow fighters and/or boxing experts lay the same claim at former IBF heavyweight champ Dubois’s feet, if they haven’t done so already?
As for the magnificent Usyk, it really is looking as though he will retire with a perfect, unblemished unbeaten record.
