As Oleksandr Usyk prepares for his much-anticipated rematch against Tyson Fury on 21st December, a blast from the past seems to have caught the eye of Jake Paul’s former trainer BJ Flores. You see, ‘The Cat’ took on Daniel Dubois back in August 2023 at the Stadion Wrocław, Wroclaw. However, the fight came to an abrupt pause. 

During the 5th round of the fight, ‘Dynamite’ Dubois landed a devastating shot on Usyk’s waist, which was immediately declared a low blow by the referee in charge, Luis Pabon. Usyk would go on to dominate the rest of the fight after being given a few minutes to recover from the low blow, retaining his WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles via a 9th-round knockout. 

This infuriated Dubois and his team, as his promoter Frank Warren lobbied with the WBA to get the loss overturned and order an immediate rematch between the two. While that never happened, the incident has since remained in the public consciousness, raising questions about whether the decision from the referee was correct. 

Late yesterday, on the anniversary of the fight, boxing presenter Dev Sahni raised the topic on social media once again. He wrote, “One year ago today, Daniel Dubois landed a punch on Oleksandr Usyk that got the world talking…,” while sharing a clip of the incident. Not long after, Flores discovered the tweet and shared his two cents on it. 

“100% legal. Dubois easily should of [have] been credited [with] the knockdown,” Flores wrote. It’s worth mentioning that the WBA responded to Warren’s appeal by standing behind the original decision by referee Pabon, claiming the referee in charge has the final say in the matter. However, this is not to say that no one took Dubois’ side. 

Hall of Fame referee shares thoughts on Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois drama

In August 2023, Hall of Fame referee Joe Cortez weighed in on the controversy surrounding Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over Daniel Dubois. He suggested that the outcome of the fight could have been swayed by a questionable decision. Cortez, renowned for his work in high-profile bouts, believes the low blow that paused the fight was not deserving of a five-minute break. 

“To me, that punch was right on the belt… I would’ve [given] a warning,” Cortez told Fight Hub TV. He criticized the referee, Luis Pabon, suggesting a possible language barrier affected the clarity of pre-fight rules. Cortez argued, “If it was intentional, you start taking points automatically… I would have not called that a low blow.” He contends that a different decision could have kept the fight flowing, potentially altering the outcome.

Alright, was the punch a low blow? Fans and experts are supporting either party in this situation, which suggests it could have been either of those things. But, at the end of the day, referee Pabon had to make a call, and he did. One year has passed since then, and even Dubois seems to have left the indecent behind him. What do you think?