'Conman Usyk deserves an Oscar'

Yahoo

29-04-2025

Heavyweight Daniel Dubois' trainer told Oleksandr Usyk he "conned the boxing world" as the two champions met in London before this summer's undisputed title fight.
Pound-for-pound star Usyk beat Dubois via a ninth-round stoppage in August 2023 but was dropped by a body shot, which was declared a low blow, earlier in the fight.
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They will contest a rematch – this time for all four world titles – at Wembley Stadium on 19 July.
At a news conference on Tuesday Usyk presented Dubois with several images which showed an angle of the punch landing below the belt-line, and asked the Londoner to sign the photos.
"It's disappointing me that you would stoop as low as bringing one of those photographs," Dubois' coach Don Charles said.
"You should be given an Oscar for that performance. You conned the referee. You conned us. You conned the boxing world."
A smirking Usyk replied: "You should teach your fighter to punch clean."
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With the low blow conversation dominating the news conference, a bored Usyk took it upon himself to end the event, abruptly standing up and saying: "Thank you everyone. We'll go to training camp. See you later."
A long face-off ended with Dubois, 27, looking away. There was no repeat of Monday's promotional face-off when Dubois pushed the 38-year-old Ukrainian.
Low blow controversy dominates news conference
Promoters Frank Warren and Alex Krassyuk sat on the top table for around half an hour, patiently waiting for the fighters.
An energetic Dubois – wearing an understated tracksuit - eventually jogged on to the stage and saluted Warren.
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Showman Usyk high-fived his team, bowed to around 50 or so members of the media and sang along to a Ukrainian song.
Dressed in a combat-like vest, he took his seat and began quietly reciting prayers while he clutched rosary beads.
Unsurprisingly, the conversation almost immediately turned to the punch from 21 months ago.
"As I sit here now, all day long that was an illegal blow. It's not about the belt line it's wear the navel is," Warren said.
Usyk continued to mouth his prayers and later put his head on the table in boredom. He was then involved in another war of words with Charles' son, heavyweight George Fox.
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On Monday, Usyk suggested to Fox they should have a "street fight" with four members of their respective teams.
Fox, who was sitting at the back of the room a day later, said Usyk - a man who has defended his country against the Russian invasion - must have been rattled.
Usyk had photographs ready for Dubois and his promoter Frank Warren to sign [Getty Images]
Team Usyk also had a 'boxing lesson' leaflet prepared to Dubois and his team [Getty Images]
'Funny dance' and Dubois 'on fire'
Usyk will defend his WBA (Super), WBO and WBC titles and hope to reclaim the IBF strap Dubois currently holds [Getty Images]
Usyk became boxing's first four-belt heavyweight champion when he beat Tyson Fury in May 2024.
Unbeaten in 23 pro fights, Usyk is an Olympic gold medallist and former undisputed cruiserweight champion.
The Crimea-born champion's two wins over Tyson Fury cemented his legacy as a generational – with the potential to go down as an all-time - great.
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His technical prowess is unmatched, but Dubois promised "to put him to sleep".
Dubois is a fighter in a rich vein of form, having recorded impressive stoppage wins over Jarrel Miller, Filip Hrgovic and two-time world champion Anthony Joshua in his past three fights.
"I'm on fire now. I'm just pent up and ready to go. It's going to be a bloodbath. I'm going to put all the controversy and all that nonsense to rest. I'm a man of the future," he said.
"[Usyk] will be doing a funny dance in the ring when I hit him."
More boxing from the BBC