They say three times ‘a charm, but for the boxer player, Oleksandr Usyk, twice is a charm for him. In this instance, I mean his opposition’s fight with Daniel Dubois. The city of London brought luck for Usyk and charm as well. Fans were excited to see him after a long time, and because we all know how much of a great player he is, it was one of those moments where expectations are just high because of the eagerness to see Oleksandr Usyk fight once again. The main question was whether a 38-year-old man can beat a young man who is 11 years younger than him.
Usyk was undermined, but that did not define his capabilities
We all thought that maybe Usyk’s time was almost over. You know, once you hit that late thirties mark, there is this perception that you are old, about to retire, and incapable of fighting with so much power compared to when you were five or ten years younger. However, while that was at the top of people’s heads, they were wondering and asking, he showed us that age will never be a stumbling block to winning a match.
The match between Usyk and Dubois was pretty unexpected. Before this, they once fought and Usyk won; now, just under two years later, they are back again, and you would think that now, Dubois is well-equipped, understands his opponent, younger, and will probably win. What if I told you that did not happen at all? If you missed it, let me break it down for you.
Size and age aren’t always factors
Oleksandr Usyk’s secret: a strong mindset. Winning is not an age thing or a skill thing. You can be young, strong, fast, and filled with skill and still lose. This is why, often, when two opponents are set to fight, they like to exchange words to sort of “tear” each other down, mostly to intimidate each other so that their opponent is weakened in the ring, and it is easier to beat them.
The difference was his footwork, that dance he’s brought from cruiserweight to heavyweight. By the sixth, Usyk’s shots were precise and intelligent, while Dubois appeared bewildered and was swinging wildly. Can we give Daniel Dubois a bit of credit because, during the match, he fired a certain shot that just made everyone conclude that he will win, but not on Usyk’s watch.
Usyk defeats Dubois to claim the title of undisputed heavyweight champion
Usyk’s win reminds me of when Ennis unified the WBA and Ring welterweight titles. Now he is a cemented player, and you can imagine how happy his fans, family, and he are. Even though they tried to scare him about his opponent, we could see how he pushed through and won. Lennox Lewis, the last British boxer to be the undisputed world champion in 1999, said,
“Dubois was a baby in the sport and now he’s a man… You’re not going to see the same Daniel Dubois from 18 months ago.”
A smooth performance has led us here today. Usyk unified heavyweight titles with a decisive win over Dubois in London, and now he is ready to be with his family. After winning, after the support he got in London, this is what he said: “Nothing is next. It’s enough; next, I don’t know. I want to rest. My family, my wife, my children—I want to rest now. Two or three months, I want to just rest.” For now, we can close the door, not permanently though, because after his rest, we are expecting a blast performance again from Usyk. We can focus on the U.S. match, including Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano on Netflix.
