Other than the debate of a controversial low blow call, Oleksandr Usyk comfortably out-jabbed and out-landed Daniel Dubois in the lead up to his stoppage victory in Poland.
The Ukrainian retained his WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight belts against Dubois, 25, to keep hopes of becoming two-time undisputed alive.
He touched the canvas and took a granted 3 minutes to recover from a body shot deemed low by the referee – something the Brit’s side believe cost them the win and will dominate the post-fight conversation – and then regained control quickly.
The punch stats from CompuBox prove as much, with Usyk connecting more than the challenger in every chapter, including round five after the low blow.
Usyk’s southpaw jab was the difference – his lead hand turning Dubois shy and keeping him on the back foot for a lot of the action. Over the nine rounds, the Ukrainian landed 52 to the Brit’s 13.
During the final round that saw Dubois dropped for the second time by a right hand, he is recorded as landing zero. In scenes similar to his loss to Joe Joyce, the Londoner couldn’t beat the count from down on one knee.
Usyk's jab carried the action vs. the reluctant Dubois, who had his moments, but didn't press the action. #UsykvsDuboispic.twitter.com/e3QMxKVE3X
— CompuBox (@CompuBox) August 26, 2023
Despite Dubois’ confidence growing, his success rate didn’t – confirmed by the three scoring judges at ringside. One had Dubois with two rounds of the first eight, whilst the other two only awarded him one.
As always, the stats and numbers don’t tell the entire story.
Promoter Frank Warren has confirmed that he will look for the result to be overturned and a rematch ordered due to the called low blow, something that will be at the sanctioning body’s discretion.
Should nothing come of it, Usyk will be called to face his next mandatory challenger, Filip Hrgovic. It’s understood that his team will attempt a deal to make the undisputed fight with Tyson Fury fight instead.