Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois – Who wins 'The War in Wroclaw'?
Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13KO) defends his world titles to WBA 'Regular Champion' and mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois (19-1, 18KO) on August 26 in Poland, broadcast live on TNT Box Office.
BBN asked their panel of experts, consisting of fighters, managers, trainers and writers, who they think wins and why:
Glyn Rhodes MBE Trainer, manager & former pro boxer
“I’m going for a late stoppage for Usyk. I think he’s too experienced and he’s got a great boxing IQ, which will be too much for Dubois.”
Johnny NelsonFormer world cruiserweight champion
“I’d love to give Dubois a massive chance, I’d love to be able to say that ’cause I always back the Brit but in reality, I don’t give him a chance.
“In reality, I’ve seen chinks in him as a fighter at this stage. I always back the Brit but if you ask me a question I’m going to give you the answer. In reality, I think there’s a chink in his armour that actually for him, at this stage, if he fights somebody like Usyk, will not work for him.
“Usyk will find him out, Usyk will break his heart, Usyk will break him down. Dubois has got a puncher’s chance. This might not sound nice to his fans, his family and all those around him, Dubois is a good fighter, but there is a chink in Dubois’s armour that Usyk will expose and take advantage of. He’s far too smart to let him off the hook. Yeah, he has a puncher’s chance and that’s it.”
Ben DayFormer Southern Area lightweight champion
“Frank Warren, I can see straight through you; you know very well Daniel can’t beat Usyk, I can see it in your eyes. Usyk points win.”
Codie Smith Unbeaten featherweight prospect
“Usyk stoppage. I believe Dubois will get dragged to deep waters and sink between 9-11.”
Matt MarshFormer British heavyweight champion
“Usyk will school Dubois in my eyes, it’s a pointless fight for Usyk but he had to take what he can because bottlejob Fury wasn’t interested.
“Usyk win late stoppage or on points. I can’t see Dubois landing a punch on Usyk, but we will see.”
Tim RicksonBBN Editor
“Whilst I still don't understand what people saw when they claimed Derek Chisora beat Oleksandr Usyk, I do think his tactics were the best way to get to Usyk. Delboy tried smothering him and applying unrelenting pressure, really sitting on his chest, and it caused Usyk to work harder than ever; but Chisora, I thought, looked a bit crude at times while Usyk just took a few exhausting rounds to get going and find his rhythm, but was still a clear winner.
“If Daniel Dubois can get to him early, really pile on the pressure in the opening rounds, where we have seen Usyk a little slow starting in previous fights, then he stand's a puncher's chance, but in reality, this is all set to be a very one-sided contest. Usyk's incredible skillset is something Dubois has never been up against before and I can't help but believe he will be very troubled by it.
“18 knockouts from 19 fights is a fearsome stat, so power is where Dubois' best chance lies, because he will not be able to outbox Usyk, but we know the Ukrainian has a fantastic chin, so if he gets caught, which rarely happens, he will be able to use his 370-fight experience to get through any sticky patches. AJ had a round where he thought he had him, but he didn't even go down or show any signs of real trouble.
“Dubois is British, he's from Greenwich where I grew up so I would love to see him win, but he's up against an elite world champion and I don't think Dubois has actually proved himself as a world champion yet. His route to the WBA title wasn't very credible because Trevor Bryan was not a good champion, and his first defence was very worrying, where he went down three times in the first round to a cruiserweight, Kevin Lerena.
“For me, Usyk keeps Dubois at the end of his punches, landing quick combos from range, teeing off on him and landing all fight long to win unanimously or cause a stoppage towards the championship rounds, or even earlier, after he has broken him down and broken his heart.”
Arijan GorickiFeatherweight prospect
“My prediction is that Dubois isn't ready for this fight yet. It will look similar to the Usyk vs Gassiev fight. At the end, I see Usyk winning via unanimous decision.”
John J. Raspanti www.maxboxing.com
“A few years ago, I was very high on Daniel Dubois. He crashed against Joe Joyce but has rebounded somewhat well.
“I say somewhat because of his last fight with unheralded Kevin Lerena. Dubois was caught and knocked down – hurting his knee. The knockdown was legitimate. Dubois showed moxie, rallying from two additional knockdowns to stop Lerana in round three.
“The young man can punch for sure. But it will take much more than "that" to beat Oleksandr Usyk.
“Usyk is a technical wizard and very intelligent. He knows what it takes to win.
“I see him stopping Dubois in round seven or after.”
Daniel SmithBBN writer
“Derek Chisora gave Usyk a nightmare for a good few rounds when the pair met back in 2020. Del bulled and roughhoused his man in a fusion of aggression and dirty tactics but was outfoxed in the mid-to-later rounds.
“Joshua came unstuck twice but proved Oleksander could be hit and hurt; we only have to look back to see how banged-up the Ukrainian’s face was in their first fight, and how AJ’s success to the body in round nine of their second encounter had his man back peddling around the ring. Therefore, I believe Dubois’s best chance to snatch victory against the unified champion will come from targeting the body, taking the wind out of his opponent’s sails and the mobility away from his game. If – and of course it’s a big if – Daniel can hurt Usyk to the body, the belts will be back on British soil once again.”
Aqib TahlatBBN writer
“I’m going for Oleksandr Usyk.
“I don’t believe Dubois is on the same level as Usyk technically, mentally, and along with experience. He does have the power but I think Usyk will be too slick and evasive for Dubois.
“Usyk will dictate the tempo of the fight and, whenever he decides to, he can close the fight.
“I’m going for Usyk late stoppage.”
Uros DjikanovicBoxing manager & advisor
“This will be a very exciting fight. Daniel Dubois in his last fight showed he can fight against southpaws. His movement was very good but he still got hit and went down in the first round. Even though he won the fight in the third round, I still think he needed a couple of more rounds to gain more experience. I think he punches harder than Usyk and I honestly think there is a chance for him to win this fight. Dubois is very capable of throwing a powerful right uppercut in the later rounds. He just needs to stay fit and wait for a perfect opening.
“Usyk is an amazing fighter. It’s hard to pick against him. That being said, I don’t know why but I just have a good feeling that Daniel Dubois will win this fight.
“So I’m picking Dubois in this fight.”
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