Oleksandr Usyk believes Daniel Dubois is faking confidence ahead of their unified heavyweight title fight.
After collecting all four belts at cruiserweight, the Ukrainian moved up a division and captured Anthony Joshua unified titles. He will face Dubois as his first mandatory challenger, his second defence after beating Joshua in their rematch.
Despite being a heavy underdog, ‘Dynamite’ Dubois has vowed to take the belts home to Britain when the pair meet in the ring on August 26 in Poland. At the kick-off press conference, he said he saw fear in the champion’s eyes.
Usyk responded via Seconds Out.
“The only think he could see in my eyes is light. Do I look like a man who is afraid of Daniel? He has no confidence. He’s just talking about confidence. He’s a little bit too young and too emotional.”
At just 25-years-old, many pundits feel that Usyk may be right in his assessment of Dubois being too fresh in the sport to compete with him.
His previous step-up to the top level was a punishing loss to Joe Joyce in 2020, but four wins following that have found him in the mandatory slot.
His last bout with Kevin Lerena saw him down three times in the first round – almost a nightmare at Wembley Stadium – before showing enough grit to get the stoppage in the third.
It’s this fighting attitude he’ll need when in against Usyk, who has just boxed Anthony Joshua for 24 rounds and looked elite doing it.
The Ukrainian must beat another Brit to keep his dream of becoming a two-division undisputed champion alive, and, should he do so, is expected to re-enter negotiations with Tyson Fury to make that happen.