Oleksandr Usyk stopped Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of their unification bout at Wembley on Saturday night to become undisputed heavyweight boxing champion again.
The Ukrainian knocked down Dubois twice in the decisive fifth round before the referee stopped the fight, earning Usyk a knockout victory.
Usyk remains undefeated in his professional boxing career, improving to 24-0 following the latest win.
It is the second time Usyk has defeated Dubois, adding to the previous victory over the British boxer in 2023.
Usyk also defeated all five UK fighters he has faced, winning all eight of the encounters.
Dubois went into the ring with the IBF heavyweight title he won by defeating Anthony Joshua last September, after Usyk vacated the belt following his first unification of the division in 2023.
Fittingly, an unpredictable Usyk emerged the victor again, reclaiming the IBF title in addition to his WBA (Super), WBO and WBC belts to become a two-time undisputed champion.
Dubois is dubbed a promising prospect in the highest boxing division, but 38-year-old Usyk showed his experience and unmatched boxing skills in the earlier rounds.
The 2012 Olympic gold medalist matched the younger fighter’s energy, landing consecutive jabs and a hook in the first round while dancing around to evade Dubois’s attack.
Another counter hook wobbled Dubois in the second round as the Briton could not sort his jab, but the 27-year-old roared back to match Usyk in the third and fourth rounds to the admiration of the crowd.
Buoyed by his success in the previous round, Dubois came out in the fifth round looking to get more shots on his opponent, but it was not to be, as Usyk landed a big right hand over the top that knocked Dubois down, but he beat the referee’s count.
Usyk then landed a signature left hook to send Dubois down a second time, and the referee stopped the fight to confirm Usyk the winner by knockout.
Usyk has defeated Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Dubois twice while fighting for the heavyweight titles.
(The Cable)
