Tonight: Usyk-Dubois will stream live on ESPN+ as a special one-fight broadcast starting at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. Ring walks are expected shortly thereafter.
Oleksandr Usyk will defend his IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight titles against Daniel Dubois on August 26th in Poland in a 43,000-seat stadium, which he expects to be full. Usyk would fight in his native Ukraine, but the situation doesn’t allow for that. As such, fighting in nearby Poland is the best option for Usyk to defend in front of a large crowd of many of his Ukrainian boxing fans.
Usyk vs Dubois Start Time
Main Card LIVE on ESPN+
- Eastern Time (ET): 5 p.m.
- Pacific Time (PT): 2 pm PT
- British Summer Time (BST): 7 p.m.
- Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST): 4 a.m. (next day)
Main Event Estimated Start Time:
- Depending on how long the undercard fights last
It’s crucial for Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) to defeat the 25-year-old Dubous (19-1, 18 KOs). He’s got a potential massive fight against WBC champion Tyson Fury in December in Saudi Arabia that would be on the line.
Dubois comes into the fight with a four-fight winning streak but came close to losing his last bout against Kevin Lerena.
He dropped three times in the first round by the southpaw Lerena, and would have been finished off if the South African hadn’t stopped throwing punches after the first.
Dubois injured right knee in that fight and has had surgery to repair the problem. Some believe that Dubois’ knee won’t be strong, given that it’s only eight months since the surgery.
“He’s Young, he has a dynamite in his gloves, he’s hungry, he’s looking for fame for Glory, and he’s looking for recognition,” said Krassyuk to Secondsout about Daniel Dubois, who will be facing Oleksandr Uyk in August in Poland.
This guy is dangerous, that’s why. We can’t say that his boxing skills are higher than Usyk, but we cannot afford to disregard his positive side. He’s really strong, he’s really motivated, and he’s a heavyweight. He’s a real heavyweight with a strong punch.
“Just see his last fight where he got injured with [Kevin] Lorena. He has a big heart. He was down three or four times but accomplished the assignment.
“He finished the fight inside the distance; otherwise, he could lose one point, but he found that power in his heart to get up to change the picture of the fight and to get the victory.
“It shows that he’s not weak; he’s really mentally strong, and as you said before, we’ve seen using fire many great champions all in their own backyard throughout the WBSS tournament Joshua, obviously in one of the two fights as well.
“There is no difference for him who he is fighting. Whether he’s fighting Daniel Dubois or his fighting Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury, his preparation for his training camp remains the same.
“He has to reach some records in his training. He has to run faster than he ran in the previous one. He has to swim faster than he swam before he has to hold his breath for longer, at least for one second.
“He has to ride the bike faster than he did before he has to do something a little bit more from the past because his main opponent is himself, and as soon as he overcomes himself.
“No one is dangerous for him. That is his mindset. That is how he is created, and that is his real attitude to training,” said Krassyuk about Usyk.
Usyk Dubois card
- Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois, 12 rounds, heavyweight – Usyk’s WBA, WBO, IBF heavyweight titles
- Denys Berinchyk vs. Anthony Yigit, 12 rounds, lightweight
- Dmytro Mytrofanov vs. Hamzah Sheeraz, 12 rounds, middleweight
- Daniel Lapin vs. Aro Schwartz, 10 rounds, light heavyweight
- Fiodor Czerkaszyn vs. Anauel Ngamissengue, 8 rounds, middleweight
- Rafal Wolczecki vs. Roberto Arriaza, 8 rounds, middleweight
- Vasile Cebotari vs. Joel Julio, 8 rounds, welterweight
- Nursultan Amanzholov vs. Lazizbek Mullojonov, 6 rounds, heavyweight
- Oleksandr Solomennikov vs. Piotr Gudel, 6 rounds, featherweight
- Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Janos Penzes, 4 rounds, super lightweight
- Bryce Mills vs. Damian Tymosz, 4 rounds, super lightweight