Oleksandr Usyk open to a second fight with Daniel Dubois
Dec 22, 2024 • 3:30 AM ET
Having recorded two wins over both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk is open to the idea of giving Daniel Dubois a second “L.”
Usyk and Dubois fought in August 2023, with Usyk eventually grinding Dubois into a ninth-round stoppage. First, though, Usyk had to survive a shot that Dubois maintains was legal but Usyk claims was low, which caused a long delay in the contest.
The 37-year-old Ukraine southpaw Usyk is now 23-0 (14 KOs), the best heavyweight of his era and a sure-fire Hall of Famer.
But he is not done yet.
With Usyk having just defeated Fury for a second time Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and looking on with a hint of bemusement, Dubois crashed his postfight interview in the ring, shouting: “Usyk, I want my revenge. I want my revenge, Usyk. Well done on tonight. God bless. I want my revenge for the robbery last time. Let’s get it. Let’s go. Where’s [promoter] Frank [Warren]? Make it happen.”
Of course, now IBF titleholder Dubois must first attend to his own business on February 22, when he is scheduled to fight another in-form heavyweight, Joseph Parker, in Saudi Arabia.
Usyk, who holds the WBA, WBC and WBO titles, took the mic and, looking for Saudi Arabian boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh, said: “Your Excellency, make me a fight with Daniel Dubois. Thank you so much.”
Asked whether he would set his sights on Dubois to become undisputed champion once more, Usyk said: “Yeah, no problem. I am ready. Next fight. No problem.”
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, a BWAA award winner, and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
