Usyk ends Dubois in fifth-round KO to become undisputed champion

Oleksandr Usyk reclaimed his undisputed champion status after knocking Daniel Dubois out in the fifth round of their fight on Saturday.

Following the victory, Usyk became the first boxer to become a three-time undisputed champion in the four-belt era.

It also means that he has now defeated three of Britain’s finest boxers twice and has made a name for himself as one of the greatest boxers of all time. The amazing part is that he’s achieved all of this while remaining undefeated. 

Since moving to the heavyweight division, Usyk has won two fights by knockout, and both were against Dubois. 

The first time they met back in 2023, Usyk KO’ed his opponent less than two minutes into the ninth round. This time around, it didn’t even take that long as Usyk dropped Dubois twice in the fifth to seal his victory. 

Dubois entered the fight quite confident in himself, and for a split second, it looked like he could be the man to give Usyk his first professional defeat. But by the end of the first round, after landing seven punches as against Usyk’s 11, it was clear things were not going to go his way. 

It was only in the third round that it appeared like Dubois was on the rise, with blows that stunned Usyk for a bit. By the fourth round, Usyk regained control of the match, and Dubois already appeared confused and tired as he was failing to wear down the Ukrainian. 

The fifth round was when Usyk chose to end things. He found an opening and timed a crisp right hand over the top to send Dubois to the canvas for the first time. 

Dubois was able to make it to his feet before the count was up, although still dazed. Usyk continued his onslaught and landed a left hook that saw Dubois fall again.

This time, however, he was unable to recover before the count was over, leading the referee to wave off the round and declare Usyk the winner. 

After the fight, Usyk said he was not in a hurry to reveal his next opponent as he was more interested in resting at the moment: “Now I want to rest. I cannot say who my next opponent is because I prepare three and a half months [for Dubois], I’ve not seen my wife and my family.

“Every day I live with my team – 14 guys in one house. Now I want to go back home and choose what’s next. I will continue boxing and training but I cannot say who is my next opponent.”