Tyson Fury has boldly branded his promotional stablemate a quitter.
Daniel Dubois stepped up to challenge for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO, WBA and IBF world titles in Poland recently, and, against the odds, dropped the Ukrainian in the fifth.
The shot was immediately ruled a low blow – something the Brit’s team are officially disputing – and Usyk was given ample time to recover. When he did so, he quickly took back control.
He would go on to knock Dubois down in the eighth, and then again in the ninth to end the contest.
Dubois hit the deck for the second time from a southpaw right hand, and made it onto his knee to watch referee Luis Pabon count. Despite seemingly having the energy to go on, he stood on nine and it was waved off.
In the aftermath, a debate on Dubois’ will to win – first started back with his loss against Joe Joyce – has been reignited.
Not one to mince his words, Fury was blatant in his analysis of both fighters.
“I thought he lost [to Dubois] and he quit so he’s a little, quitting [coward]. And once you quit once you’ll always quit, just like we saw with Dubois. He quit too, so that was two quitters fighting each other.”
“It’s tough to say somebody’s quit but Usyk quit with a body shot and rattled around the floor like a little [coward] for five minutes and the other one quit with a jab. But the truth is the truth and that’s it.”
“It is what it is, you’re a fighting man or you’re not and if you quit once, you will always quit again. My father told me that when I was a child. If you spew it once you’ll always spew it and that’s the facts of the matter. End of.”
The complaint on the legality of the low blow has been officially lodged with the WBA, although not many in the sport believe a rematch will be called because of it.