Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk defeats Britain's Daniel Dubois to retain unified world heavyweight boxing title

Photo: Reuters

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Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk successfully defended his title as unified world heavyweight boxing champion for the second time, knocking out British athlete Daniel Dubois.

Suspilne Sport reports this.

It should be noted that the fight took place in Wroclaw, Poland. All five belts of Usyk were at stake, including the three main titles (WBA, WBO, IBF) in super heavyweight.

According to reports, already in the opening round, Dubois missed a right jab from Usyk. This became the main highlight of the first three minutes of the match.

^{Photo: Reuters}

It should be noted that Oleksandr took advantage of his speed in Wroclaw and seized the initiative from his opponent.

Фрагмент бою Олександра Усика та Даніеля Дюбуа у Вроцлаві 27 серпня. Боксери змагалися за титули в надважкій вазі pic.twitter.com/DaEuAIxz2R

— hromadske (@HromadskeUA) August 26, 2023

At the equator of the match, Dubois continued to work on the opponent's body. Instead, the seventh round ended with a series of blows from Usyk, which pressed the Briton to the ropes for a short time.

Into the third we go 👊 #UsykJoshua2 pic.twitter.com/a7CXu02Uoa

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 20, 2022

In the last seconds of the eighth round, Dubois was knocked down for the first time. After a combination of blows from Usyk, the Briton got on his knee and was able to stand up, after which a gong dispersed the opponents.

^{Photo: Reuters}

"Dubois' knockdown ended the fight in the ninth round. The judge signaled an early knockout in favor of the Ukrainian!" writes the publication.

Usyk celebrates a ninth round stoppage win over Dubois! 🇺🇦 🏆#UsykDubois pic.twitter.com/fxhqS9yH2y

— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) August 26, 2023

The referee signaled an early knockout in favor of the Ukrainian.

Also, after Usyk saw the second knockout loss in Daniel's career, he went over to him and offered words of encouragement to the 25–year–old boxer.

"It's not bad. It's boxing, not ballet or dancing. Daniel, you're young; you're capable. You can dream," Usyk said in the ring.

"You can dream."

Usyk delivers words of encouragement post-fight 🤝 pic.twitter.com/UN6PeZBdGS

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) August 26, 2023

Usyk won by knockout at the heavyweight level for the first time. He knocked down his opponent twice: for the first time in the eighth round and then delivered a decisive blow in the ninth.

"Thank you for your support. I dedicate this match to my Ukraine and the Armed Forces," Oleksandr Usyk said after the victory.

🇺🇦 Олександр Усик присвятив свою перемогу на ринзі Україні та ЗСУ pic.twitter.com/NKHttR9Ew1

— Рубрика (@rubryka) August 27, 2023

For reference:

36-year-old Usyk has held the heavyweight titles since 2021, when he first defeated Anthony Joshua by a unanimous decision.

It should be noted that after the start of the full-scale invasion, Usyk joined the ranks of the Territorial Defense Forces, so the date of last year's match remained in question. Then, the Ukrainian government began to permit athletes to leave the country to participate in international competitions.

Therefore, last year in August, Usyk still met Anthony Joshua in a rematch for five belts. At stake were the WBO, WBA Super, IBF, and IBO titles, which the Ukrainian took from the Briton last year. Athletes also fought for the title of champion, according to The Ring magazine.

The championship fight lasted all 12 rounds. As a result, Usyk won by split decision of the judges. He dedicated this match to Ukraine and its Armed Forces.

Dubois went into the fight as the reigning WBA champion. After the only defeat in his career – a knockout from Joseph Joyce in 2020 – the 25-year-old Englishman had a streak of four consecutive victories.