Daniel Dubois Overconfident?

Daniel Dubois is beaming with confidence as he prepares for his long-anticipated rematch against Oleksandr Usyk. At just 27 years old, the British heavyweight enters this bout not only as a world champion but as a fighter who feels he was robbed of glory the first time around.

Their first meeting in August 2023 ended in controversy. In the fifth round of that fight, Dubois landed a powerful body shot that sent Usyk to the canvas, a punch Dubois and many observers believed was a legitimate knockout blow. However, referee Luis Pabon ruled it a low blow, giving Usyk time to recover. The Ukrainian champion would go on to stop Dubois in the ninth round, retaining his WBA, IBF, and WBO titles.

“I feel like I did what I had to do in that first fight,” Dubois said in a recent interview. “Now, I just need to make sure there’s no way they can take it from me.”

That fifth-round moment sparked widespread debate in the boxing world, with fighters, analysts, and fans split on the legality of the punch. Dubois and his camp called for a rematch almost immediately, arguing that the outcome was tainted by poor officiating.

Over a year later, Daniel Dubois is entering the ring with a new mindset and with more maturity and experience under his belt. Since that loss, he bounced back with a strong performance to claim a version of the heavyweight title, and now he believes he’s ready to take the full crown.