Usyk vs Dubois LIVE: Results after controversial low blow and knockout
Re-live updates after Usyk retained the unified heavyweight titles against the Briton in Poland
Oleksandr Usyk retained the unified heavyweight titles against Daniel Dubois on Saturday, in a hugely controversial fight in Poland.
Usyk dropped Dubois at the end of the eighth round and did the same in the ninth, with referee Luis Pabon waving off the bout after the second knockdown. However, many viewers felt that Dubois was denied a genuine knockout win in the fifth round. Ukrainian Usyk crumpled to the mat after a right hook to the body by Dubois, with the punch appearing to land right on the belt line. But Pabon ruled it an illegal shot, suggesting it was a low blow.
Rules dictate that a fighter is allowed five minutes to recover from such a punch, and Usyk, 36, used four of them before resuming the main event in Wroclaw’s Tarczynski Arena. Usyk even told Pabon that he was ready to continue, but the referee urged the southpaw to take more time.
In the following rounds, Usyk turned the screw, fighting well behind his jab and increasingly crafting combinations that troubled Dubois, 25. The Briton then hit the mat after a flurry of straight shots from Usyk at the end of the eighth round, before going down again due to a jab in the ninth. Although Dubois made it back to his feet, Pabon waved off the fight.
Re-live updates from Usyk vs Dubois and all undercard fights, below.
Usyk vs Dubois LIVE: Fiodor Czerkaszyn vs Anauel Ngamissengue
Round 4
A replay suggests that the first knockdown was actually caused by an accidental headbutt from Ngamissengue.
Either way, Czerkaszyn has not had long to recover ahead of this fourth round.
He’s doing well to halt Ngamissengue’s momentum, however, even mounting some offence himself – looking to sneak some hooks around the guard of his opponent.
Czerkaszyn maintains this encouraging spell, before leaning on Ngamissengue on the ropes, perhaps in a bid to catch a breather.
They’re separated, and Ngamissengue gets back on the front foot, opening a cut around the left eye of Czerkaszyn.
The referee motions to the judges, however, saying it was caused by a headbutt.
Usyk vs Dubois LIVE: Fiodor Czerkaszyn vs Anauel Ngamissengue
Round 3
Czerkaszyn burrows a right hook into the ribs of Ngamissengue, who fires back with a one-two up top.
Now the middleweights grapple against the ropes. Ngamissengue lands a solid hook as they separate and Czerkaszyn backs up to the centre of the ring.
OH! And down goes Czerkaszyn! He’s on his backside after a right hand from Ngamissengue, but he’s quickly back to his feet and assuring the referee that he’s okay. Let’s see about that...
Ngamissengue snaps his head back amid an onslaught of shots, and Czerkaszyn hits the canvas again!
He’s on his feet, and Ngamissengue seeks a finish, marching forward and bobbing his head from side to side before unloading punches.
Czerkaszyn makes it to the bell!
Usyk vs Dubois LIVE: Fiodor Czerkaszyn vs Anauel Ngamissengue
Round 2
Second round of eight. Ngamissengue gets on the front foot early, pressuring Czerkaszyn.
Czerkaszyn unfurls a few counter hooks in a bid to deter his opponent.
Ngamissengue has already reverted to an orthodox stance. He just misses with an overhand right.
Now Czerkaszyn peppers him with a series of short, straight shots, increasing the intensity at the end of the flurry.
This time Ngamissengue lands the overhand right, just before the bell!
Usyk vs Dubois LIVE: Fiodor Czerkaszyn vs Anauel Ngamissengue
Round 1
Czerkaszyn stands orthodox; Ngamissengue is southpaw.
Ngamissengue gets behind a jab by throwing a cross to the body. He and Czerkaszyn soon tie up in a clinch.
There’s a fair bit of that as the round goes on. Czerkaszyn just misses with a one-two upstairs.
Ngamissengue steps in again and this time aims his cross to the head of Czerkaszyn. It’s on target.
More grappling ensues. A pawing left hook by Czerkaszyn lands round the back of Ngamissengue’s head.
Czerkaszyn looks to stay light on his feet, while Ngamissengue mixes in some lateral movement as he comes forward.
Usyk vs Dubois LIVE: Fiodor Czerkaszyn vs Anauel Ngamissengue
Alright, then! It’s time for our round-by-round fight updates!
We kick things off with a middleweight bout between Fiodor Czerkaszyn and Anauel Ngamissengue.
Poland’s Czerkaszyn, also representing Ukraine, has a professional record of 22-0 (14 KOs), and he’s all smiles as he makes his ring walk.
French-Congolese Ngamissengue is also unbeaten at 12-0 (8 KOs). He’s already in the ring.
Here we go!
Usyk vs Dubois LIVE: In other news...
In some concerning news late last night...
It was revealed that Robert Helenius failed a pre-fight drugs test prior to his heavyweight fight with former world champion Anthony Joshua.
The 39-year-old Finn, knocked out by Joshua in the seventh round at London’s O2 Arena on 12 August, had stepped in as a late replacement for Dillian Whyte, who had failed a drugs test himself.
Fight promoter Matchroom Boxing confirmed in a statement on Twitter that Helenius had “returned an adverse analytical finding” after being voluntarily tested on 11 August.
More here:
Robert Helenius failed drug test before fighting Anthony Joshua, Vada says
The Finn was only involved as a late stand-in after Joshua’s original opponent Dillian Whyte also failed a voluntary test
Usyk vs Dubois LIVE: Why champion can produce his greatest counter yet
When Usyk and his challenger came face to face at a pre-fight press conference in July, Dubois vowed to unleash “hell”. Usyk, meanwhile, recited a poem and a rap. That might have foreshadowed the dynamic of this main event rather well: Dubois, as his coach Don Charles has admitted, must make this a chaotic affair. In contrast, Usyk will look to employ his usual artistry to undo his challenger and put Dubois himself through hell.
Agonised by the grave matter of war in his homeland and the more trivial factor of frustration with Tyson Fury, Usyk will be riled up in Wroclaw. If any fighter can master that emotion and harness it wisely, it is Usyk.
Full preview:
Usyk may produce his greatest counter yet against Daniel Dubois
Comment: The Ukrainian is out to defend his country’s honour, and he may even take out his frustration with Tyson Fury on his young challenger
Usyk vs Dubois LIVE: Challenger missed Ryanair flight to Poland
Dubois’s preparation for his fight with Usyk took a major hit this week, when the Briton’s Ryanair flight to Poland was cancelled.
Dubois arrived in Wroclaw 24 hours later than planned after his flight from Stansted was among those cancelled on Sunday (20 August).
The 25-year-old was forced to take a cab ride, costing £280, to Heathrow, where he slept in an airport hotel before flying via Dusseldorf on Monday morning.
“It was chaos when we got to Stansted,” Dubois told reporters on Thursday (24 August). “Ryanair... for f***’s sake! There was an evacuation of the departures hall going on.
“People were screaming and fainting, and there were some fights going on. Mad, crazy. We had to get out. My dad for one couldn’t stand it.
“We were all tired when we got here, having missed a day’s preparations, but I got a good night’s sleep and back on track.”
More here:
Daniel Dubois misses Ryanair flight ahead of Usyk fight
The Briton’s flight from Stansted was cancelled, forcing him to sleep at an airport hotel before arriving in Poland 24 hours later than planned
Usyk vs Dubois LIVE: Best betting odds
The Ukrainian is an overwhelming favourite but we’ve found some alternative betting opportunities on the fight...
Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois tips & predictions: Betting preview with best odds & free bets
The Ukrainian is an overwhelming favourite but we've found some alternative betting opportunities on the fight
The misleading narrative of Usyk vs Dubois
Usyk will be fighting closer to his Kyiv home than he has in eight years; the 36-year-old, remember, won his cruiserweight world titles on the road in Poland, Latvia and Russia. He defended the belts against local fighters in Germany, America and England. He is a boxing treasure, unbeaten now in 20 fights, an Olympic gold medalist, a volunteer in the Ukraine defence force. He might just be changing the dictionary definition of ‘national idol’.
Dubois will finally, for the first time in his short but intense boxing life, have no pressure on his shoulders. The 25-year-old will start as the underdog for the first time in 21 fights. He turned professional in 2017 when he was just a wide-eyed teenager; his progression was deceptive, and he was made to feel invincible against many men who had no chance. In 2020, there was a bad, bad night behind closed doors and under Covid restrictions.
The fight’s simple – but misleading – narrative seems to be that Dubois has a puncher’s chance; well, all heavyweights have a puncher’s chance. Anthony Joshua went 24 rounds with Usyk, and he most definitely had a puncher’s chance. To beat Usyk, you need far more than a puncher’s chance.
Full preview:
The misleading narrative of Usyk vs Dubois
Dubois journeys to Poland, where Usyk and a legion of his Ukrainian fans await
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