Having shared sparring rounds with both Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk, Dave Allen is well placed to assess their upcoming rematch.
Dubois and Usyk line up against one another at Wembley Stadium in London on July 19 with all four major world heavyweight titles on the line.
Dubois goes into the fight on a fine run of form that has seen him beat Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, and, most impressively, former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua, whom he knocked out inside five rounds last September to defend his IBF strap.
Usyk remains unbeaten in the professional ring. The former undisputed cruiserweight turned undisputed heavyweight champion has twice beaten Joshua and twice beaten Tyson Fury.
Although he beat Dubois by stoppage in the 9th round of their 2023 bout, he was put down with a shot from ‘DDD’ and took several minutes to recover after the referee, controversially for Dubois’ team, ruled it to be a low blow.
Speaking on his own YouTube channel, Allen – who briefly retired after a concussive sparring session with Usyk – gave his prediction for the fight and sided with the Brit.
“I think Dubois is gonna beat him. I know a lot of people will fancy Usyk and rightfully so. As much as I like Dubois and think he’s getting better and all the rest of it, I’d like to see Usyk win, I think he’s a great fella and a great fighter, but I think Dubois will win.”
Allen himself returns to the ring on May 17 against Johnny Fisher in a rematch of their December 2024 bout, which Fisher won via a controversial split decision.
