Daniel Dubois has broken his silence and has hit back at critics after confronting Oleksandr Usyk following his win over Tyson Fury last month.
The Ukrainian picked up his second win over the ‘Gypsy King’ back in December. Despite starting slow, the tide turned just before the midway point as Usyk was able to get a foothold of the blockbuster sequel using his sharp footwork and jaw-dropping speed. Eventually, ‘The Cat’ would go on to get his hand raised via unanimous decision in Riyadh.
However, one of the biggest talking points after the main event was Dubois’ behaviour. The Brit was labelled ’embarrassing’ after confronting the Ukrainian in the ring following his victory over the ‘Gypsy King’. The Brit placed himself opposite the Ukrainian and delivered both a challenge and congratulations in a slightly awkward looking encounter. “I want my revenge,” said Dubois after taking the microphone from the interviewer. “I want my revenge Usyk! Well done tonight, well done. God bless. I want my revenge for the robbery last time. Let’s go, let’s go. Make it happen Frank!”
Usyk quickly asserted he was open to a rematch. He replied: “Your excellency, make the fight with Daniel Dubois. Thank you so much. I can do more. I’m ready to fight (Dubois), no problem. Next fight no problem. Now I want to go home and rest.” Many fans believed that ‘Triple D’ was trying to make himself the centre of attention and take away any limelight from the Ukrainian’s scintillating performance.
Despite receiving a lot of stick for his actions after the fight, Dubois stands by his decision. In an interview with BoxNation, he said: “This is boxing at the end of the day, any publicity is good publicity. If they hate it or they like it then yeah. I’ve been boxing long enough to understand that now.
“It’s not all about having everything your way and everyone love you, but as long as they want to see you that is all that matters. But at the end of the day, I want to get through Parker and then that fight [with Usyk] is done. It’s all about making noise, and as a world champion you can choose your destiny and path. I’m just challenging in my eyes and I want to become undisputed champion and that’s my intentions.”
Despite wanting a rematch with Usyk, Dubois must first get through Joseph Parker on February 22. Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh recently revealed his plans to book the rematch between Usyk and Dubois, providing ‘Triple D’ gets through Parker. Speaking to The Stomping Ground, he said: “Next, if Dubois wins in February, I want to see Usyk and Dubois again. And I want to see Tyson, maybe with [Anthony] Joshua or something, we will decide. Let’s see what can happen, everything in Riyadh Season is realistic…The most important thing is the fans enjoy it.”
Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas has revealed that his client will take a long break away from the sport and won’t be ready until the summer. He said: “It’ll be a very long preparation. After another 12 rounds with Fury, he needs a good, long recovery. It won’t be till July or August. Dubois has to beat Parker before he can even start thinking of Usyk.”
