It was a chaotic night as Daniel Dubois battled it off against Oleksandr Usyk. The highly anticipated fight took its course and left fans in shock. The Ukrainian fighter was successful in defending his titles in the heavyweight division, but, his opponent, Dubois, did not just go home disappointed for losing the fight, but felt that he was robbed of a victory. The fighter was accused of transgressing boxing rules by throwing an apparently below-the-belt shot at Usyk which knocked him down. The referee, instead of counting him out, gave time to the Ukranian to recover. A recuperated Usyk dominated the rest of the fight from then on. Eventually, the 36-year-old boxer’s victory came through a short right to Dubois’ face in round 9 that sent him to the canvas.
The raging debate following the fight is whether Dubois’ shot was actually a low blow. Having lost the fight, Daniel Dubois has sought to have the results of his fight overturned.
Daniel Dubois and his Promoter ask for a rematch
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On Saturday night, in Poland, a ferocious fight was underway that saw Oleksandr retain his IBF, WBA, WBO, and IBF titles against his mandatory challenger, Dubois. However, amidst the matchup, the referee had to intervene as Usyk took a while to recover from a shot to the body by Dubois. The referee declared that the body shot went below Usyk’s belt, but the latter’s opponent did not agree with the declaration.
Frank Warren has stated that they intend to appeal for Oleksandr Usyk TKO9 Daniel Dubois to be officially overturned and ruled a no-contest over the body shot/low blow controversy, as well as demanding an immediate rematch.
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) August 27, 2023
Commenting on the incident, Dubois said, “I didn’t think that was a low blow, I thought it landed and that I’ve been cheated out of victory. I’ve been cheated out of it tonight. I’ll come again.”
Further, his promoter said that he would appeal to overturn the result of the match. Frank Warren said, “The governing bodies will have to look at that and order a rematch. We will order appeal what’s happened here. It’s all about a legitimate punch that stopped him and he should have won.”
But what does Oleksandr Usyk have to say?
It seems like Oleksandr Usyk is in agreement with the referee’s decision. He boldly refuted the claims that Dubois’ shot was legitimate. The heavyweight unified champion said, “You are not allowed to hit a man in [that area]. Listen, boxing it’s a sport for gentlemen, it’s not a street fight. It’s boxing.”
Was this punch illegal or should Dubois be champion#danieldubois #usyk #boxing#oleksandrusyk #dubois #fight pic.twitter.com/v8kbhcNn04
— Football ⚽ (@vienquockhanh) August 26, 2023
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A lot of folks were also of the opinion that since Usyk wore his shorts a little too high, it created an illusion of Dubois’ shot landing below the navel. Refuting such claims, the fighter further said, “How can I be guilty in wearing shorts? The low blow comes not from wearing shorts like this but the low blow itself.” Adding another layer to this argument was his promoter, Alex Krassyuk who said Dubois was deliberately targeting his fighter below the belt.
As more boxers and enthusiasts join this discourse, it is certain that the conversation will not die down soon. Meanwhile, it is uncertain if the regulatory body will accept Dubois’ request for a rematch. But if they do, it means that Usyk will have to defend his titles once more against Daniel Dubois.
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What are your thoughts on the Usyk-Dubois low-blow controversy? Let us know in the comments section below.
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