Oleksandr Usyk is a legendary boxer, one of those destined to be celebrated, studied, and idolized by future generations as well as the present ones. Tonight, he proved it once again, sealing at the age of 38 one of the most impressive victories of his career against a young, powerful, and confident opponent. Daniel Dubois was enjoying a magical moment, but at Wembley Stadium his hopes of shocking the world lasted just five rounds before being swept away by his brilliant rival. With this triumph, Usyk reclaimed the status of undisputed heavyweight world champion, regaining the IBF belt he had vacated in order to grant Tyson Fury the contractually required rematch.
Dubois entered the fight with determination and boldness, trying from the outset to apply pressure, give Usyk no breathing room, and engage him in a battle of timing at mid-range. However, it was Usyk’s jab that dominated the opening round—an absolutely perfect shot that repeatedly caught the British puncher off guard.
Realizing he had spent a significant amount of energy without much return, Dubois slightly slowed the pace in round two, being less aggressive and waiting for the right moment to unleash his dangerous punches. This allowed Usyk to firmly take control of the action. Particularly brilliant was the Ukrainian’s counter left hand at the end of the round.
The third round was undoubtedly the most evenly contested of the bout. Dubois finally landed some noteworthy shots in quick succession, but became overconfident and walked into a crushing left hand from his opponent, which he clearly struggled to absorb.
Usyk then reasserted his dominance in the fourth round, a stanza he controlled from start to finish thanks to his masterful use of straight punches, mixing them occasionally with right and left hooks that Dubois couldn’t anticipate or block.
The fight’s conclusion stemmed from the same mistake the British fighter had already made in the third round. After landing a solid right hand, Dubois charged at Usyk thinking he could shake him with more heavy punches, but instead fell into his trap.
The Ukrainian star stunned him with a perfect right hook to the temple, lethal not only because it hit a vulnerable spot, but also because Dubois didn’t see it coming, suddenly finding himself on one knee, confused about what had just happened.
Sensing blood from a fatally wounded prey, Usyk immediately went in for the kill: he easily evaded a desperate, wild right from Dubois and knocked him out with a superb left hook to the jaw.
A few months ago, shortly after Usyk’s victory in the highly anticipated rematch against Tyson Fury, I published an opinion piece explaining in detail why I consider the Ukrainian one of the best heavyweights in boxing history. (Click here to read the article)
Today, after witnessing yet another sporting masterpiece, that belief is even stronger and more deeply rooted in me. I’m absolutely convinced that future historians and experts will have no doubt in placing Usyk alongside the legendary athletes who dominated the heavyweight division and covered themselves in glory in past decades.
The relatively short length of Usyk’s professional career—tonight marked his 24th pro fight and win—becomes more and more irrelevant with each new triumph, in the face of the many victories achieved on the road, his ability to defy the unstoppable Chronos (god of time), and the astounding completeness of his technical repertoire.
Daniel Dubois didn’t get this chance by accident, and he’s not an easy opponent by any means. The British fighter has fearsome power, is well-trained, physically sound, and was coming off a winning streak that had earned him praise and admiration from experts and insiders. But against Usyk, he looked like a rookie. That’s what happens when a very good boxer has the misfortune of stepping into the ring with a living legend.