Daniel Dubois conceded that his performance fell short after his aspirations for undisputed heavyweight glory were dashed by a fifth-round stoppage defeat at Wembley, courtesy of Oleksandr Usyk’s devastating punch. Usyk had previously demonstrated his superiority over the 27-year-old Londoner in a one-sided bout in Krakow in 2023, where Dubois was penalised for an illegal low blow in the fifth round.
Despite warnings to Usyk during fight week that he would a “different” adversary this time, the Ukrainian once again proved too formidable for Dubois (now 22-3, 21KOs). The former undisputed cruiserweight champion dominated the first four rounds before delivering a masterful fifth-round finish, solidifying his reputation as one of boxing’s greatest ever.
Dubois showed courage as he rose from a powerful right-handed knockdown, only to be sent to the canvas seconds later by a thunderous left, marking his third professional defeat.
This victory marked Usyk’s 24th career win and his seventh consecutive triumph over British fighters, allowing him to reclaim the IBF title and complement his WBA, WBO, and WBC belts, becoming a two-time undisputed champion in the heavyweight division.
Reflecting on the loss, Dubois stated: “I have to commend him on his performance. I gave everything I had, probably a few things I could have sharpened up on, but take no credit away from the man. I was just fighting, I was in a fight and trying to pick up round by round.
“It is what it is, but I’ll be back. I want to thank everyone for coming out. I gave my best, we’ll go back to the drawing board and come again.”
Usyk later disclosed that the decisive blow wasn’t a left hook but rather a punch he and his team call “Ivan,” a technique honed by the 38-year-old who has consistently raised his game in rematches, as seen against Dubois’ fellow countrymen Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
“Listen, we prepare for this fight with my team. We learn from first fight, we have a long time, two years, and we prepare a combination. You know the punch name Ivan,” Usyk explained.
“Left hook? A hook is like this (gesture), that is Ivan. It is Ukrainian name. Ivan is you know a big guy, who lives in a village, he is Kozak, you say, ‘what is your name?’ And he says, ‘my name is Ivan,’.
“Yeah, it is a hard, hard punch, Ivan. It is a long time. Maybe first time is 2018? Yeah, first time. It was USA in cruiserweight. Now I want to go back home, now I want to do a choice over what next. I will continue in boxing, I will continue in training, but now I cannot say who next.”
This latest triumph in the English capital adds to Usyk’s impressive record, having secured Olympic gold at the London Games in 2012 and, four years ago, capturing his initial world heavyweight titles with a points win over Anthony Joshua at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Yet when asked if he considers himself one of the all-time greats, Usyk responded with a playful smirk: “Ha, no.
“For me, the UK is like a second home because this is where I’ve won all my trophies. European (amateur) champion (in Liverpool), London 2012, Tony Bellew, Dereck Chisora, Anthony Joshua, three-time undisputed Dubois, I am very grateful for this country.”
Queensberry promoter Frank Warren chimed in: “We witnessed one of the true modern-day legends tonight in action.
“Oleksandr Usyk for me is a heavyweight in any generation that would be an outstanding fighter. I take my hat off to him in how he coped, how he showed such mental resilience in someone’s back yard, he is something special. He is a special fighter.
“Daniel is obviously very disappointed, he is in the dressing room at the moment but he will come back.”