Ambitious British contender Daniel Dubois will be looking to upset unified champion Oleksandr Usyk later this month, with the world’s top heavyweights set for action over the weeks to come.
Promoter Frank Warren believes Dubois can shock the formidable Usyk, and the world, on August 26 and beat the formidable Ukrainian to win the IBF, WBO and WBA titles when they fight in Poland.
“I’m confident because I believe in him,” Warren told Sky Sports.
Dubois recovered from three first-round knockdowns to beat Kevin Lerena
“Usyk is a very, very good fighter. He’s a great cruiserweight. He’s done everything that’s been asked of him. But I look at fights, I don’t just look at their last performance.”
Usyk is returning to the ring after 12 months out since defeating Anthony Joshua on points for a second time to defend his unified titles.
But Warren noted that Usyk has demonstrated vulnerabilities in previous fights, particularly when faced with relentless pressure.
“When he fought against Derek Chisora, there was nothing in that fight until Chisora ran out of gas towards the end when he wore him out. But there wasn’t anything in that fight early on,” the promoter said.
“I look at [Usyk] against AJ for the first fight. AJ wasn’t at the races. He was a bit better in the second fight, but for me AJ’s not firing like he was anyway. He showed that in his last fight. He’s not the fighter he once was.”
The promoter firmly believes that Dubois’ youth, strength and determination can threaten Usyk.
Dubois has been rebuilding from losing to Joe Joyce in 2020, although Kevin Lerena did cause the Londoner some problems in his last bout.
Dubois and Usyk face off ahead of their heavyweight fight
He went down on three occasions in the first round and suffered a knee injury, but rallied to halt Lerena in three rounds.
“Daniel in his last fight, I don’t think he warmed up properly and he got caught on the top of the head,” Warren said. “You’ve seen on numerous occasions the vulnerability when someone gets caught like that.
“He got caught, went over and, as he did, he tore his ligament, which is a fact. He’s had it operated on. He gritted his teeth and came through that. He took a count twice, didn’t get knocked down [again]. Took a count twice and then gritted his teeth and done what he had to do.
“That answered a lot of questions.”
This will be Dubois’ first fight with new trainer Don Charles but Warren emphasised that the young Briton has the potential to deliver a monumental upset.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Usyk has questioned Tyson Fury’s decision to fight former UFC champion Francis Ngannou
“After the fight, the result will be the result, no matter what I say. But if I genuinely didn’t think he had a great chance, I would have held up on it and I wouldn’t have pushed forward for the mandatory defence. I would’ve held up, but I fancy him big time in the fight,” the veteran promoter said.
Eighteen of Dubois’ 19 victories have come by way of knockout. He is undeniably heavy-handed and Warren feels the power he possesses, along with the timing of the bout, are factors that could lead to Usyk’s downfall.
“He’s young, he’s strong, sometimes it’s your moment and I think it’s his moment,” he said of Dubois.
“I know that if he catches Usyk, Usyk won’t know what’s hit him. Can he cope with that power?”