Boxing news: Oleksandr Usyk floats past Daniel Dubois, cements legend status
Oleksandr Usyk cemented his name in boxing’s history books with his undisputed win over Daniel Dubious on Saturday, July 19.
The Ukrainian showed that there are levels to this game, with a mesmerising performance that, at times, felt cruel to Dubois.
Power and punishment are not words you would typically associate with Usyk.
‘The Cat’ has built his career on tricky footwork and elusive counter punching.
He’s an escape artist, having left some of boxing's hardest hitters chasing their tails.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s boxing writer Sam Condy analyses the undisputed heavyweight championship fight.
Triple D sought vengeance
Coming into the fight, Dubois was riding on the high of the biggest and best win of his youthful career.
The merciless dismantling of fellow Briton Anthony Joshua disrupted the former champion's comeback plans and cemented Dubois firmly as the best of the rest.
Dubois is not the fighter he was when he first shared the ring with Usyk.
In a fight that, other than one controversial low blow - panned out exactly how boxing fans have come to expect a match-up against the Ukrainian to unfold.
Two years on, and in the form of his life, murmurs of an upset had been blowing through the boxing scene.
Dubois looked imposing, he looked hungry, and he was as ready as he could ever have been.
However, once again, Usyk proved that he is just simply a cut above the rest.
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Brain trumps brawn
Dubois started fast. He tried to impose his will - something that pundits felt he needed to do - but it wasn’t enough.
A jab that was so ferocious against Joshua was absent as the Ukrainian flaunted his defensive mastery to a packed Wembley Stadium.
Dubois was beaten to the punch time and time again, and it quickly became clear that there was only going to be one winner on the night.
The southpaw's lateral footwork and probing right hand left Britain's heavyweight hope chasing ghosts.
Despite this, Dubois kept moving forward.
Triple D tried to trap Usyk, but as his attempts grew more desperate, the danger mounted.
After catching one clean on the chin in the fifth, being visibly rocked, Dubois launched what already felt like a last-ditch effort in a bid to flip the narrative of the bout.
He lunged at Usyk, attempting to lure him into a firefight.
Usyk was ready and waiting, and a laser-accurate right hook connected, sending Dubois tumbling to the canvas.
Through sheer grit and determination, the 27-year-old rose to his feet.
However, moments later, a clean left hook, which Usyk has since coined ‘Ivan’, spelt an end to the contest, with Dubois unable to get back to his feet.
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One of the greats
With this win, Usyk has checked almost every box in the heavyweight division, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest to ever step foot in the square circle.
His name now sits alongside Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis and Joe Louis.
The two-weight undisputed champion has proven he is of the same ilk, and with just Joseph Parker left to face — a fabulous career is looking to be approaching its final chapter.
Joseph Parker is deserving of a title shot, and will likely be next in line.
I'm sure the New Zealander will be quietly confident, given he is quicker and trickier than the majority of Usyk's previous heavyweight foes.
Nevertheless, the Ukrainian mastermind is undoubtedly the best of his era, and it would seemingly take a miracle for the heavyweight veteran to see his arm raised at the end of 12 rounds.
If Usyk decides to keep motoring forward, Moses Itauma is another name that seemingly has been flung into the hat.
The 20-year-old is set to face off against Dillian Whyte on August 16.
Assuming he comes out on top, the monstrous puncher will be within touching distance of a title shot.
Heavyweight boxing has not seen a rise as fast and terrifying as Itauma’s since the 1990s bore witness to a young phenom going by the name ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.
Old versus young could be the perfect way to close the curtain on a career that will go down in history as one of the best ever.
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