Usyk vs Dubois | A battle of precision versus power

BOXING will crown a new undisputed heavyweight champion this weekend when Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois meet at London’s Wembley Stadium. For all the latest fight odds, visit our sportsbook.

WBC, WBO, WBA, and Ring Magazine champion Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) stands alone as the best heavyweight of his era.

The former undisputed cruiserweight champion has cut a swathe through the heavyweight division. The Ukrainian holds a pair of wins over Anthony Joshua and, last year, he became the undisputed champion by outpointing and outfighting the previously underrated Tyson Fury. He repeated his victory in a hard-fought rematch.

Usyk also holds a victory over Dubois. In August 2023, he stopped the Londoner in the ninth round of a fight for the unified title.

IBF titleholder Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) has reinvented himself since that heartbreaking night. He has reeled off exciting, memorable knockouts of Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, and two-time unified champion Anthony Joshua, and in full flow, he is the most destructive fighter in the division.

On Saturday night, the two best heavyweights in the world meet again. This time, more than 90,000 fans will be in attendance.

Let’s have a look at some of the factors that will decide who leaves as the undisputed champion of the world.

EXPERIENCE

Both fighters are used to performing on the biggest of stages.

Usyk has seen and done everything. The 38-year-old is a former Olympic champion, successfully ran the gauntlet at cruiserweight, eventually becoming the undisputed champion, and has proven himself to be undoubtedly the best heavyweight of his era.

Usyk has encountered every possible style and knows every trick in the book. He has beaten punchers, boxers, and fighters, and negotiated his way through the maze of boxing politics to become a two-weight undisputed champion.

32Red.com have Usyk as a 3-10 favourite to become the undisputed heavyweight champion for a second time.

Dubois is more than a decade younger than Usyk but has experienced all of the highs and lows boxing can provide.

The 27-year-old turned professional as a teenager and dealt with the pressure of being groomed as a future star. After having his eye socket broken by Joe Joyce back in 2020, he was labelled a quitter—an accusation he was once again forced to face after sinking to a knee in the ninth round of his first fight with Usyk.

Rather than folding, Dubois gritted his teeth, got back to work, and became a heavyweight champion. He has entered the ring as an underdog for his last three fights but has stopped Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, and Anthony Joshua.

Dubois is a 3-1 underdog to gain revenge and create history.

POWER

This is a battle of precision versus power.

Usyk is a ball of energy. His constant lateral movement and ability to recognise and exploit mistakes can break his opponent’s hearts. Although his knockout of Dubois was only his second inside-the-distance victory since he made the move to heavyweight six years ago, he has carried enough power and snap to make top-level opponents like Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury think twice before committing to all-out war with him.

Usyk doesn’t carry one-punch power but tortures his opponents. Once they unravel, he begins to pick them apart. Dubois may carry more one-punch power, but he was the one who was counted out in the first fight.

If you think Usyk can score another stoppage win, you can back him at 5-4.

Dubois has legitimate heavyweight power.

His thudding, ramrod jab is a weapon in itself, and his straight right hand is arguably the heaviest single shot in boxing.

Not many heavyweights target the body as well as Dubois, and he is also a vicious combination puncher. When he has an opponent hurt, Dubois fully commits to his attacks, digs his toes into the canvas, and fires away. He is also extremely active for such a big man and is capable of working at a high pace.

Dubois has proven that he can finish elite heavyweights. The only top-level opponent he has been unable to land regular, hard shots on was Usyk. He did floor the Ukrainian heavily with a hard right hand to the beltline, but the referee deemed it to be a low blow. Nonetheless, that will have bolstered Dubois’ belief that he can hurt Usyk with the right shot.

Dubois has improved greatly over the past two years, and if he can work out a way to walk Usyk into his power shots, Dubois could easily cause a sensation.

A Dubois knockout is available at 19-5.

MENTALITY

As tough as Usyk is physically, he is twice as strong mentally.

The Ukrainian won all of his cruiserweight world titles on the opponent’s home turf and, despite giving away natural size and strength to his heavyweight opponents, has supplemented his incredible ability with self-belief, fitness, and desire.

Usyk is unshakeable outside of the ring—pressure and mind games seemingly having absolutely no effect on him—and he is impossible to discourage inside of it. He has also managed to maintain focus on his boxing career as war rages on in his homeland.

Usyk is priced at a tempting 7-4 to maintain his focus throughout the twelve rounds and box his way to a decision victory.

As Dubois knelt on the canvas listening to the referee count him out, the idea that he would face Usyk again less than two years later would have been laughable. That he would go into a rematch with a genuine chance of winning is truly a testament to the way he has rebuilt.

Dubois has appeared unbreakable over the last two years. He willed himself through some difficult moments against Jarrell Miller, walked through fire to stop Filip Hrgovic, and then held himself together in the cauldron of Wembley Stadium to knock out Anthony Joshua.

If you think he can hold his nerve, maintain his belief and discipline, and use his world-class jab to pin Usyk down, a dramatic, late Dubois stoppage between rounds 10 and 12 is available at 16-1.