The debate about whether or not Oleksandr Usyk was hit low rages on weeks after Daniel Dubois threw the controversial punch.
Now, one heavyweight contender claims this is the latest piece of evidence in a long list that shows the Ukrainian ‘can get hurt to the body.’
It was in the fifth round of his chance at Usyk’s WBO, WBA and IBF world titles that Brit Dubois slung a shot onto the belt line of Usyk. The referee immediately ruled it low and Usyk was given – and took most of – his five-minute recovery time before the fight resumed.
He went on to beat Dubois by knockout in the later rounds having dominated the vast majority of the fight.
Since then Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren has lobbied the WBA about ruling the fight a no-contest or at least ordering a rematch. As of yet, there have been no verdict on the appeal.
Speaking to Seconds Out, prominent US heavyweight Michael Hunter has shared his views on the subject.
He fought Usyk back in 2017 and took a unanimous decision points loss to the tricky southpaw and now says he thinks that the body shot was legal.
“The initial thought was that wasn’t low. We get hit on the belt line all the time.”
He was then asked about something he retweeted that said there is no secret about Usyk’s vulnerability to body shots.
“Yeah, it’s never been a secret. There’s other clips out there I’ve seen since I was younger before I even knew who he was. If you look you’ll find other body shots with him complaining or getting dropped. It’s no biggy, everybody can get hurt to the body.”
Like many, including Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, Hunter thinks Dubois lacked determination following the ruling against him and ultimately quit.
“Daniel didn’t put his foot down. If I was him I would have gone right back to the same spot and let the ref do his job.”
It seems most likely that Dubois will now have to find another route back to the top, although the WBA’s verdict is expected in the coming weeks.