Controversy surrounds the Dubois vs Usyk fight as a punch below the belt sparks debate among professionals and fans. Will Dubois secure a rematch? Find out more in this article.
| Round | Controversy |
|---|---|
| 5 | Dubois lands a punch below the belt, deemed illegal by the referee |
The fifth round of the Dubois vs Usyk fight became a hot topic in boxing circles as Dubois landed a punch below the belt, which the referee deemed illegal, sparking controversy.
Last night, the fifth round of the Dubois vs Usyk fight became a hot topic in boxing circles. In the beginning of the fifth round, Dubois landed a punch below the belt, which the referee deemed illegal, giving Usyk several minutes to recover. Dubois, his promoter Frank Warren, and trainer Don Charles vehemently protested after the fight, with Warren announcing plans to file an appeal and request the outcome of the fight to be overturned.
Usyk, of course, disagrees with their claims, and it’s always interesting to hear what the professionals think. Michael Hunter, a well-known American heavyweight who was once linked to Hrgović as a potential opponent, wrote, ‘That body shot didn’t land low.’ Hunter’s only loss in his career came in 2017 at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk.
Josh Taylor, the former undisputed world champion in the super lightweight division, also weighed in. The Scottish boxer took to Twitter to comment on Dubois’ controversial punch. Like Hunter, Taylor believes it was a legal blow. ‘That shot landed right on the belt. Perfectly legal shot in my opinion,’ Taylor wrote in one of his tweets, adding two more: ‘Dubois should be the champion after that body shot, it definitely wasn’t a low blow. Usyk didn’t like it and took full advantage of the opportunity to recover. Did Dubois quit (later in the fight) or was it just a great lead right?’
British boxer Sunny Edwards wrote that every boxer currently thinks Dubois should be the world champion, while Irishman Michael Conlan also sees the punch as legal but brings the discussion back down to earth. ‘I don’t think the shot was low, it was on the border. Please, calm down with statements that ‘DDD’ (Dubois) should be the world champion because if it was a count, Usyk would have gotten up,’ Conlan stated.
Opinions are clearly divided, as evidenced by the statement from Liam Smith, another prominent English professional boxer. Smith is convinced that it was an illegal blow. ‘The shot was low, regardless of whether Usyk had his guard up too high (because that’s something Dubois’ team should have addressed at the beginning of the fight if they felt the guard was too high). His protector is right below his waist. Usyk made the most of the time offered to him for recovery, but no one knows if he would have stayed down if the referee had decided to count,’ Smith said.
Tony Bellew, the former world champion in the cruiserweight division, provided a more detailed explanation, agreeing with the referee’s decision to deem the punch illegal. ‘Anything below the navel is classified as a low blow in boxing! That’s not my opinion, that’s a FACT! Those are the rules! Your trunks shouldn’t cover your navel because if they do, it’s possible to receive a blow to the waist area. This picture speaks a thousand words!’ Bellew wrote, among other things. However, fans quickly responded with pictures from the fight itself, explaining that Usyk immediately lowered his trunks below the navel. What can we say, except that the boxing community will clearly be divided on this issue. Whether Dubois will secure a rematch based on this situation is hard to say. Usyk was dominant in every round of this fight, and we doubt the audience would be interested in another showdown between the two of them.
