Oleksandr Usyk is looking to land a second win over Daniel Dubois on what could be his farewell appearance to boxing at Wembley as the Ukrainian has continued to down Britain’s elite
Daniel Dubois is right, he has to bring the fire to beat Oleksandr Usyk. Easier said than done against a fighter of Usyk’s quality. Dubois certainly has more confidence following his Anthony Joshua KO. He had Usyk down last time. albeit from a low blow.
That revealed how Usyk’s weak spot might just be the body. He had better hope so because there are precious few holes elsewhere. I have seen a lot of Dubois close up.
I know his strengths. He is a tremendous puncher, naturally heavy-handed. The punches don’t look fast but they are loaded with dynamite. Just look at the right that floored Joshua.
But Usyk is so hard to hit cleanly. To have a chance Dubois has to land big shots and be aggressive from the get-go, walk him down and keep the pace high, close the ring down and get Usyk to exchange.
I think Dubois will bring more intensity this time. But if Usyk makes him miss and tires him, he will go to town down the stretch. Dubois must find the target somehow or I think he runs out of gas and ideas.
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Ultimately Usyk is the superior fighter. He’s not the sort of guy who knocks you out with one shot. The damage is done cumulatively. Usyk is a southpaw, tricky, with a multifunctional approach. He is so flexible with so many options, a box of tricks who can switch hit at will. He is also quicker than Dubois and tough as they come.
Though Usyk is older and with more miles on the clock, he is a real fighter with great tenacity, as he showed last time in beating the resistance out of Dubois.
I have no problem including Usyk among the all-time greats. He has such deep experience from his amateur days and as a pro has handled everything thrown at him.
Dubois has said he is going to unleash hell, but this guy has seen and done everything. I struggle to see how Dubois can present a problem Usyk has not encountered before.
He’s beaten Joshua twice, Tyson Fury twice and I think he will beat Dubois twice. He is just too skilled, too clever. He might get caught, but he will weather the storm like he did last time to claim another famous win. We might not see him again after this. He has nothing to prove now and will have even less to prove after victory at Wembley.
Follow Barry on X at @ClonesCyclone @mcguigan’s_Gym