Daniel Dubois, the IBF world heavyweight champion, believes that Oleksandr Usyk will again defeat Tyson Fury in Riyadh on Saturday night. “Something in my heart tells me Usyk will pull it off again,” Dubois said only hours after landing in the city. “As a fellow Brit I want Tyson to win, because of everything he has done in the game. You have to respect that. But something is telling me that Usyk is going to do it again. Usyk just has luck on his side and he has skills. He has the backing of his people and is fighting for his country.”
Usyk beat Dubois in August 2023 when he stopped his young British challenger in the ninth round of a bruising contest. But he was hurt by Dubois in round five and slumped to the canvas after a punch on the beltline was ruled as a low blow. Usyk was given four minutes to recover before, drawing on his vast experience and reserves of will, he eventually battered Dubois into submission.
Usyk became the undisputed world heavyweight champion in May, when he beat Fury on a split decision, and he was unfortunate to have the IBF belt stripped from him just weeks later because he refused to meet the sanctioning body’s mandatory challenger. The Ukrainian had already signed a contract to meet Fury for a second time and Dubois was named as the IBF’s new champion without winning the title in the ring.
But Dubois’ life changed forever in September when, in his first defence, he stunned boxing by clinically knocking out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium. “I will always respect AJ for giving me the opportunity and I am glad I took it,” a beaming Dubois said. “That night I couldn’t stop watching the fight back, no sleep, just pure adrenaline.”
Dubois is usually a timid and reluctant talker but his transformation now is striking as he cracks jokes and revels in his success. “I haven’t spoken to AJ though [since the fight]. Unfortunately there are no friends in boxing. Maybe later we’ll do the rematch. It sounds like he needs a bit more time. But all this talk about AJ and people keep making him excuses for the loss … it’s time for people to celebrate the new king!”
He spreads his hands wide and smiles even more broadly. “I keep seeing people crying over AJ’s loss rather than celebrating the new king. Come on people! It’s almost like someone has died and the country has gone into mourning. It was like a member of the royal family died. I don’t know if everyone else saw it, but I did. Everyone is always talking about AJ but where is he? I can’t find him. I think I put him in a retirement home.”
Beyond the wisecracks, Dubois admits that he feels a level of disrespect because he is rarely mentioned as an imminent opponent for Fury or Usyk. Instead there is already talk of a trilogy fight between Usyk and Fury – or Fury facing Joshua instead. “Whoever wins on Saturday, I am going to get in the ring and call them out,” Dubois insists. “I want to fight Usyk for revenge. I want to set that record straight. There’s a familiar story from our fight in Poland but I’ll fight Fury too, no problem.”
Asked if he has treated himself since defeating Joshua, Dubois grins again. “I am thinking about getting a helicopter. My garden isn’t big enough to land it, though, and I’ll need a few lessons first. I have been looking [at helicopters]. I want a Ferrari as well but they’re so small. They’re made for those tiny Italian guys, I won’t ever fit into one.”
Another booming gale of laughter sweeps through Dubois. After his strange and reclusive past, the 27-year-old can barely contain his delight and exuberance. “It’s time for the young guns to come out firing and show what we are about. I have the title, I am a king, and I will hold on to it. I would like to be the one to send them all off and prove I am the top dog. It would be a great feeling.”
