Three Fights You Could Argue That Oleksandr Usyk Lost

Here are three fights you could argue that the Ukrainian superstar could have lost.

Mairis Briedis – Majority-Decision – 27th January, 2018 – Riga, Latvia

Usyk collided with the undefeated Latvian in Breidis’s hometown in a WBC and WBO unification in the semi-final of the World Boxing Super Series. Usyk sank to his knees as the judges announced razor-thin scorecards of 114-114, 115-113, and 115-113.

I covered the event ringside at Arena Riga, in front of a primarily Latvian audience, as the pair duked it out for the full 12 rounds. Personally, I scored it a draw; my card read 114-114, but it could have gone either way; it was that close.

The fight was a bugger to score, with every round competitive, and the quality both men showed produced one of the best fights I have seen in the flesh. In the post-fight press conference, the pair sat battered and bruised, but neither man appeared to be in danger of hitting the canvas in a grueling matchup. If the scorecards were reversed in the Latvian’s favour, it would be hard to find anybody watching who would have disagreed. The fight was that close and competitive.

Derek Chsiora – Unanimous-Decision – October 31, 2020 – London, England

In Usyk’s second fight at heavyweight, British favourite Derek Chisora was drafted in to provide some sort of yardstick as to whether the Ukrainian had the size to compete in the division. Wembley Arena hosted the spectacle during COVID, with no fans in attendance. However, Anthony Joshua was on site to eye his future competitor.

Usyk claimed the unanimous-decision victory with scores of 115-113, 115-113, and 117-112. The history books will show a pretty routine win, but many argued in Chisora’s favour.

Usyk breathed a sigh of relief as his corner unwrapped his hands, as he struggled with the size and aggressiveness of ‘Del Boy’, especially in the opening rounds. In typical fashion, Usyk rallied in the second half of the fight as Chisora kept pressing the action. My card read 115-113 to Usyk. However, if the scores were reversed, I wouldn’t have felt that Usyk was robbed. In a different circumstance with a crowd pushing Chisora through and some different judges, it could have been Usyk’s first career defeat, and the chance at facing Joshua would have evaporated.

Daniel Dubois – Knockout Round 9 – August 26, 2023 – Wroclaw, Poland

For me, this is the most controversial of the three!

Uysk welcomed another Englishman to challenge him for the IBF, WBA, and WBO titles. Dubois wasn’t given hope in hell, but the WBA regular belt holder had Usyk rolling on the floor from a body shot at the start of the fifth round.

The crowd was stunned as the rain poured on the open-air Stadion Wroclaw in front of a primarily Ukrainian crowd. Sadly, for Dubois, referee Luis Pabon immediately signaled a time-out as Usyk sat in shock. The Ukrainian took what felt like the entire five minutes to recover as Dubois stood frustrated, as a low blow was ruled. The replays show the right hand was exactly on the belt line, and Usyk’s crown jewels were in no threat from the shot. I’ve seen much lower blows being ruled as legal. I thought he milked it, and the shot in my book was legal. However, Usyk returned to his feet, and the fight continued with a change of tactics. Usyk pressed the action from that moment forward, flooring Dubois in the eighth and ultimately ending the contest in the ninth. If the fight were in England or America, I’m confident the fight would have been called a stoppage victory for Dubois. Usyk would go on to defeat Tyson Fury for the undisputed title and rematch Dubois with a spectacular victory in London, becoming a three-time undisputed champion.