Daniel Dubois: Punch that floored Oleksandr Usyk was ‘from the Gods’
Daniel Dubois has said the punch that floored Oleksandr Usyk in their first fight — that was deemed a low blow by the referee — was legal and came “from the Gods” as he prepares to exact revenge in their rematch.
The two will fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship on July 19 at Wembley Stadium.
Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) won their first fight with a knockout in Round 9 and was comfortably ahead on the scorecards.
However, the fight was overshadowed by the contentious low blow call, which has been an emotive topic ahead of their rematch.
Dubois’ coach Don Charles said Usyk “conned” the referee with his reaction to the punch, which led to a heated exchange between the two camps at Tuesday’s news conference.
Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) himself is confident it was a legal punch.
“I got through with that shot it was like a punch from the Gods,” Dubois told media.
“You’ve seen him in the past get hurt to the body, but I’m not going to go crazy on it because everyone’s talking about a body shot. They’ll be expecting that. So, I’ve just got to mix it up I guess.”
Dubois called Usyk “boring” and said his mental toughness won’t be enough against his power in July.
“These Ukrainians, they do all his mind work and mind control stuff, so I just need to be right physically, spiritually and that will be enough on the night,” he said.
“He’s always in that [mind games]. I think he’s a boring guy. He is at home doing his mind s—. You got to just beat him in a ring.
“When they feel the real pain and the heat, then you can break through that [metal strength.] With the power of God on your side, you can do anything.”
Usyk, who is deeply religious, was unhappy with Dubois’ claim that his punch came from a higher power.
“God bless you Daniel, God bless you, bro,” Usyk told media with a heavy sigh. “He should not have said it.”
Following back-to-back wins against Tyson Fury, there were questions over what Usyk had left to accomplish in the sport.
The Ukrainian said within two weeks of his rematch against Fury, he was shadow boxing and asking his wife to punch him while on holiday.
When asked if Dubois could find a weakness in attacking his body, Usyk joked through his translator: “I have a weakness, but no one will ever know about this weakness apart from me.
“That weakness is hidden in an egg, and the egg is hidden in a dog, and the dog is hidden in a dragon so it’s impossible to find.”
Source: espn.com