Reuters
LONDON, July 17 (Reuters)
Daniel Dubois told Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez to kiss goodbye to his cash after the Mexican said he bet half a million dollars on Oleksandr Usyk beating the Briton in Saturday’s undisputed heavyweight world title fight. Undisputed super-middleweight world champion Alvarez posted on social media this week that he was backing Usyk to add Dubois’s IBF belt to the WBC, WBA, and WBO ones that the Ukrainian holds. The boxing world loves a bit of controversy. And this fight had controversy in spades as the two boxers prepared for their iconic match.
Daniel Dubois laughs off news of Alvarez’s bet on Oleksandr Usyk
“It means nothing to me,” Dubois, 27, told a press conference at London’s Wembley Stadium on Thursday with Usyk, 38, also in attendance and with all his belts laid out on his side of the stage.
“He’s going to lose his money. I’m just focused now. Let’s get it on.” – Daniel Dubois
Dubois (22 wins and two losses) promised he would be writing his own script for the fight, a rematch of one he lost in Poland in 2023, while his camp assured the unbeaten Ukrainian (23 fights, 14 by knockout) that he was up against a changed fighter. “I’m on a different level now and ready to come through whatever on Saturday to get them belts,” said Dubois. “This is history-making. I’ve got to do a real demolition job. I’m hungry and ready for it.”
Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, said Usyk had beaten Dubois once and would do it again and doubted the Londoner was really any different. “It’s the same guy. What can he change in a couple of years? You cannot train your mind, and that is, I think, where his weakness is,” he said. Usyk said he expected to stop Dubois and brushed aside questions about his age.
“I respect this young guy. He is motivated, but I am too. I am not old guy. 38 is not old. We will see. It’s Saturday,”- Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk stays keeps his head ahead of title fight
Usyk also responded to some fighting talk from his opponent’s team with the repeated expression “don’t push the horses”. “I think he’s trying to gee you up,” commented fight promoter Frank Warren, who also manages Dubois. Dubois lost his previous fight against Usyk by a controversial ninth-round knockout after the champion was given time to recover from what the referee ruled was a low blow. Usyk has credited his discipline for a remarkable comeback.
The Briton took the IBF title after Usyk relinquished it last year and can become his country’s first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. The pair went face-to-face for the cameras after the highly staged press conference, with Dubois first to look away. Usyk, wearing a Cossack hat, then stared down a smiling Warren. The Briton admitted there were still some tickets available for the fight, describing it as “nigh-on sold out”.
Usyk delivers a huge financial return for Canelo Alvarez
The fight would go on to be a crowning achievement in Oleksandr Usyk’s career. He has faced Daniel Dubois in the past, but that fight has been shrouded in controversy. The heavyweight class has seen some of the most talented fighters in history. Fighters like Muhammad Ali and Lennox Lewis were proof that size doesn’t always limit a fighter’s ability to move around the squared circle with the grace of a ballet dancer. And Usyk lived up to that reputation. Following the win, Usyk stated that he wants some family time to recover before considering his next opponent. The boxing world eagerly awaits his decision.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)
