An exultant Oleksandr Usyk gently mocked the critics and doubters who had suggested that age was closing in and made him vulnerable before he entered the ring against Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night. Instead, he produced a blistering masterclass which resulted in a fifth-round demolition of Dubois. “Thirty-eight is a young guy, remember!” Usyk quipped. “Thirty-eight, it’s only the start!”
Talking in the ring a few minutes after he sealed his dominant victory, the undisputed heavyweight champion said he had not decided who he might fight next. “I don’t know,” he said. “I want a rest. I want to be at home with my family, my wife, my children. I want to rest maybe two, three months. Just rest.”
Pressed to consider his options he said: “Maybe it’s Tyson Fury. Maybe we have three options. Derek Chisora. Anthony Joshua. Maybe Joseph Parker? I cannot say now, because I want to go back home.”
Dubois was magnanimous in defeat, saying: “I have to commend him on his performance. I gave everything I had. There were probably a few things I could have sharpened up on. But take no credit away from the man, I’ll be back.”
His trainer, Don Charles, praised Usyk but also promised that Dubois would return from his shattering defeat. “That’s a great champion, a generational great. If you’re going to lose, lose to someone like that, you understand? But he’s a young champion, Daniel Dubois. Twenty-seven years old, remarkable what he’s achieved to date. He’ll be back from this, stronger.”
Frank Warren, who promotes Dubois, was equally floored by the imperious champion. “Oleksandr Usyk is a modern-day legend. He’s an unbelievable fighter. In any generation, he’d be a great fighter. And I take my hat off to him tonight. You know, Daniel was ready for it. He was up and trained hard. No complaints, no excuses. The better man won on the night. He is a fabulous, fabulous champion.”
