Oleksandr Usyk’s win over Daniel Dubois has always been one marred by controversy and now the Ukrainian has been accused of cheating.
The former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world beat the young Brit back in summer 2023 by ninth round knockout. However, in the fifth round, he was down from what was ruled by the referee to be a low blow, though some think it was a legitimate punch.
Usyk took a full five minutes to recover, as per the rules, but now the rematch has been announced, the controversy has raised its head once more.
Speaking to Seconds Out, ‘DDD’s trainer Don Charles was asked whether the low blow incident was a mistake, cheating from the Ukrainian or a legitimate foul.
“We saw a perfectly legitimate punch that was not scored by the referee. He could have been conned into it by Usyk, which makes it a cheat. If you watch the fight again, Daniel hit Usyk’s body, and Usyk cited a low blow. It was nowhere near, that’s prepping the referee.
“In round two or three, he did the same thing again. Again, he pointed to the referee, It was not low, he was prepping the referee. Then when it happened in round five the referee was already conditioned. All day long, that was a cheat.”
Dubois will have the chance to avenge this loss as he defends his IBF belt and attempts to relieve Usyk of his WBO, WBC and WBA to crown an undisputed ruler on July 19 at Wembley Stadium.
