Oleksandr Usyk believes there is no comparison between his previous opponent, Anthony Joshua, and his next one, Daniel Dubois.
The Ukrainian became unified world heavyweight champion by beating Joshua over the distance in 2021, and retained those belts in a slightly closer contest one year on.
Despite attempts to make an undisputed fight with Tyson Fury, the time ran out and he was forced into facing his first mandatory challenger in order to keep any hopes of becoming the division’s sole champion alive.
Dubois found himself in the WBA number one slot with a victory over Trevor Bryan, and has defended that position with a third round knockout over former cruiserweight, Kevin Lerena. His clearest step up to world level was against Joe Joyce – a stoppage loss in 2020.
Many pundits and fans have looked at the ‘AJ’ bouts to identify what chance Dubois has at upsetting the odds against Usyk. Both Brits are powerful, close to the same height and take to the scales around 240lbs.
For Usyk, however, the only comparison is that they punch for a living. He told TNT Sports that there is a ‘different level of athleticism’ between them.
“You cannot compare those two guys. These are completely different levels of athletes. The only thing that is in common is that they both are boxers.”
Whilst the champion – who previously held all four belts at cruiserweight – didn’t divulge further, fans will likely take it in reference to Joshua’s pedigree in being an Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time world champion who has consistently competed at the top.
Dubois, on the other hand, is 25-years-old and very much at the start of his campaign on the big stage. He will challenge for Usyk’s belts on August 26 in Wroclaw, Poland.