Following their first faceoff earlier this week, Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois previewed their rematch at a launch press conference on Tuesday. The pair square off for the second time on July 19 at Wembley Stadium in London, battling it out for the undisputed heavyweight title.
Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) of Ukraine stopped Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) in the ninth round in August 2023 in Wroclaw, Poland, scoring knockdowns in the eighth and ninth rounds along the way. In the fifth round, Dubois threw a punch that was ruled a low blow, sending Usyk to the canvas. The British boxer denied that his punch landed below the belt.
Making his ring appearance on July 19 at Wembley in London, Oleksandr Usyk puts his unified WBA, WBC, and WBO titles on the line. The two-division undisputed champion from Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine, looks to reclaim the IBF strap that he vacated ahead of Dubois’ fight against Anthony Joshua last September. At the press conference, the 38-year-old southpaw said the talk didn’t matter and that he was ready to fight.
“I believe you are jealous,” Oleksandr Usyk said in response to Dubois’ trainer, Don Charles, who stated he ‘conned’ everyone with a low blow. “You are right, I deserve an Oscar. Listen, you must teach your fighter to punch clean. I won the fight with a jab. Enough.”
“I don’t think about these people [who say I cheated] because it is just talking. Listen, boxing is my life. A lot of people said, ‘you won’t make heavyweight,’ or be a four-belt [undisputed] cruiserweight [champion]. You know what I say? We’ll see.”
“For me, it doesn’t matter. It is my road, just my road, blah, blah, blah. I am ready right now, not after tomorrow – right now. It is all only talk. I respect this team, and I respect all my opponents, those from the UK and the rest of the world.”
‘He will be doing a funny dance when I hit him’
Daniel Dubois, who claimed the IBF title against Joshua by knockout in the fifth round, looks to take revenge and climb to the top of the division. The 27-year-old native of Greenwich, London, said he can’t wait to put his next opponent to sleep.
“Yeah [I was cheated], but it is in the past now,” Daniel Dubois said. “It happened, and I get the chance to put that wrong right and clear up the controversy. There is a lot of s*** being talked about right now, and I can’t wait to put him to sleep on the night.”
“I think I am on fire now. I’m on fire and just pent up and ready to go. It is going to be a bloodbath, and I will put all the nonsense to rest. I will show I am a man of the future.”
“I know that in the ring on the night, he will be doing a funny dance when I hit him.”
The Usyk vs Dubois 2 undercard matchups are expected to be confirmed shortly.