Daniel Dubois has warned Oleksandr Usyk that psychological tactics will count for little when they finally square off at Wembley Stadium on 19 July for their heavyweight title unification bout. The British powerhouse believes Usyk won’t be able to withstand the intensity he plans to bring, predicting the Ukrainian will crumble under pressure.
The two heavyweights presented starkly contrasting personalities in the lead-up to the fight. At a face-off on the Wembley pitch, Dubois broke character by shoving Usyk. Though Dubois insisted it wasn’t premeditated, he made it clear he’s fired up for the rematch. “If you get angry or something, it just happens in boxing,” he said. “I want to put my hands on him properly on the 19th and show everyone.”
Dubois acknowledged Usyk’s mental toughness but dismissed his psychological games as ineffective. “You know the Ukrainians – they do all this mind work and mind control stuff. But I just need to be right, physically and spiritually, and that will be enough on the night,” he explained. He suggested that once the fight gets gritty, Usyk won’t be able to endure. “When those guys feel the real pain and the heat, then you can break through that. If you’ve got power on your side, you can do anything. I don’t think he can handle the pain or the heat that I’m going to bring.”
Their first meeting in August 2023 was a dramatic affair. Though Dubois struggled early to match Usyk’s technical mastery, he nearly turned the tide in the fifth round with a heavy blow to the beltline that was ruled low. The shot left Usyk in visible agony, and he was given nearly four minutes to recover. Despite the controversy, Usyk regained control and eventually stopped Dubois in the ninth round, having dropped him twice.
Reflecting on that pivotal moment, Dubois still believes in the legitimacy of the punch. “I got through with that shot,” he said. “It was like a punch from the gods, though. But that’s in the past now. I’m a man of the future.”
Usyk, when informed of Dubois’s divine description of the punch, responded in a typically dry yet pointed fashion: “God bless Daniel. God bless you, bro.” He then leaned in, his tone shifting to one of ominous seriousness, adding, “He shouldn’t have said it.”
Promoter Frank Warren has further fueled the fire, claiming he has identified a vulnerability in Usyk’s body. “This fellow does not like it when he’s hit to the body,” Warren insisted, asserting that Dubois can exploit this with a relentless body assault.
Usyk found amusement in the claim. Laughing heartily, he offered a cryptic retort: “I do have a weakness, but no one will ever know about this weakness apart from me. I will never talk about it because this weakness is hidden in an egg and the egg is hidden in a dog and the dog is hidden in a safe which is hidden in a dragon. So it’s impossible to find.”
That blend of mystery and composure highlights the stark contrast between the two fighters. Where Dubois is all about raw power and unfiltered ambition, Usyk exudes mental calm and eccentric confidence. With the psychological warfare heating up and the physical battle looming, their clash promises to be more than just a fight it’s a meeting of opposites.
