Daniel Dubois shared the ring with heavyweight ruler Oleksandr Usyk and has now changed his mind about how the Ukrainian’s latest defence against Tyson Fury will go.
Dubois fought Usyk in September 2023. It was his first shot at a full world title and came not long after Usyk beat Joshua in back-to-back fights to claim and then defend three of the four major belts.
Dubois started well and infamously managed to knock Usyk down, but the punch was ruled low. Usyk was given maximum time to recover and then stamped his authority on the later rounds, eventually stopping the Brit in the ninth.
Usyk’s next fight came in May this year against Fury. It was the first undisputed contest for a quarter of a century and saw the likeable southpaw take a close points victory.
Now the pair go at it again this weekend as Fury attempts to reverse the only loss of his professional career having admitted to too much showboating in the first fight.
Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, Dubois – who has since been made IBF Champion after Usyk vacated the belt – was pushed for a winner and sided with his countryman.
“I’ll go for Fury, man. I wanna see him do it, but like I said before I would love to get the rematch with Usyk, But it’s going to be a great fight either way.”
However, speaking to the Guardian, it appears the young champion is now predicting the same result as the first fight.
“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.”
