British heavyweight Dave Allen has sparred with both Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois and has made his prediction for the upcoming fight.
Many are giving the young British heavyweight little more than a puncher’s chance against the unified WBO, WBA and IFB world champion Usyk. But Allen rates that punch as “ten times harder” than Usyk’s.
Dubois has knocked out 90% of his 20 opponents to date, losing just once to Joe Joyce, while Usyk has stopped only one man at heavyweight and that was Chazz Witherspoon in his first bout in the division. Across his entire professional career, his knockout ratio is only 65% of 20 opponents.
Speaking to Boxing News, Allen has said he certainly wouldn’t “write off” Dubois.
“We’ve got a 36-year-old Usyk. He’s not a heavyweight. He’s not. He’s not a big man at all. He’s an outstanding boxer but he relies on reflexes and movement and at 36 years old there’s gonna be a point where that just gunna leaves him.
Look I think Usyk wins. I think he outboxes Dubois. Dubois’ shown a lot of frailties and Usyk hits hard enough to put him away but I don’t rule Dubois out completely. “
Allen, who is to fight Frazer Clarke in Manchester on September 2, then assesses the power of each man.
“Usyk might have wobbled me but Dubois hits 10 times harder than him and is 10 times the physical presence that Usyk is. I don’t rule him out at all. The only thing that worries me with Dubois is that we’ve seen it with [Kevin] Lerena he looks like he’s looking for a way out if he gets hit on the chin.
But if Dubois hits Usyk he will put him to sleep, to be honest. I’m intrigued by it. I think it’s interesting, Usyk will have to be perfect for as long as Dubois is in there cause Dubois can really punch.”
Usyk has already overcome one heavy puncher in Anthony Joshua and will be hoping to do the same against Dubois in Poland on August 26.