Oleksandr Usyk KNOCKS OUT Daniel Dubois in brutal fashion as he wins rematch to become three-time undisputed world champ
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OLEKSANDR USYK only needed five rounds to knock Daniel Dubois out and become undisputed heavyweight champion for the second time.
The 38-year-old Ukraine legend and London 2012 golden boy needed nine rounds to make the 27-year-old surrender in September.
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Oleksandr Usyk beat Daniel Dubois to unify the heavyweight division
Credit: Reuters
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He knocked out the Brit in brutal fashion in their rematch, having already put DDD on the ground
Credit: Reuters
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Dubois didn't last five rounds
Credit: PA
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Usyk dropped to his knees as the ref waved the fight off
Credit: PA
But on Dubois' home turf he halved his shift time and demolished his chin and spirit in five.
After a close fight that Usyk was dominated, it was a right hand that dropped Dubois first but he bravely climbed off the canvas on eight.
But when a missile of a left hook handed seconds later, Dubois was never going to beat the count or the genius who reclaimed the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF belts once again.
And that was his four-belt hat-trick - after he cleared out the cruiserweight division in his first pro run - to cement his place as one of the greatest fighters of all time.
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DU DILIGENCE Fans fear for Dubois after arriving late at Wembley for Usyk fight
Essex-based Dubois gave his fans a fright when he didn't arrive at Wembley until around 90minutes before the opening bell.
It was a worrying reminder of the scandalous 60 minutes Anthony Joshua gave himself when he was blown away by Dynamite Dan last September in the same ring.
He did arrive just in time to see the VIPs take their ringside seats, as Gordan Ramsey, Frank Bruno, Jason Statham and YouTube boxer Jake Paul filled the front rows.
And by 9:15pm the Londoner was strapping on his dangerous 10oz black leather gloves and shorts - paying homage to Mike Tyson - and preparing to be the new baddest man on the planet.
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Usyk covered his head with a grey hood, like a mysterious James Bond villain and was roundly booed when his moustached face popped up on the giant screen.
Despite a dismal undercard, the home of football was packed to the rafters and Gid Save the King was roared out by the crowd.
Kate Scott rocks bold outfit as DAZN presenter stuns in low-cut top for Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois
And Dubois made his ring walk with a Union Jack flag held over his shoulder by a member of his team.
There were fireworks and flame throwers when he emerged from the dressing room and the roar of a lion boomed over the tannoy.
Dubois 12-year-old little brother Solomon carried his bright red IBF belt to the ring, despite it being well past his bedtime.
Apart from a few head nods to the music, DDD looked ice cool and emotionless as he prepared to dance with the 38-year-old Ukraine genius and his destiny.
Usyk's introduction was iconic also, and the pockets of Ukrainians inside the stadium made themselves heard when his trademark tune hit.
Moments before the bell, Dubois - who had been prowling around the ring waiting for his foe - walked into his red corner to get his gumshield inserted and he caught his dad Stan's eye at ringside.
The pair nodded at each other as the young charge tried to etch the family name into boxing folklore forever.
Finally devout Usyk removed his giant silver crucifix, kissed Christ and went to work.
Usyk laid down a marker with three brilliant jabs, the first after just 10 seconds.
But Dubois didn't wilt and scored back with heavy right hands to the southpaw's chest and one whipped uppercut.
In the final seconds of the opener Usyk really opened up with a 1-2-3 combo but Dubois showed off his new defensive skills.
Usyk started the second with a fizzing straight left hand but Dubois battled back with a couple of one-twos that looked like banking him the round.
But like any boxing mastermind, Usyk knew how to snatch back the upper hand and right before the bell he cracked our boy with a counter left hand and stunned him for the first time.
Then Usyk was buzzed as soon as the third started with a big right hand and three more similar whacks followed.
But then Usyk played possum and walked the giant knockout artist onto a short left hook to reassert his control.
Dubois, as the round closed off, started to look tired, just as Usyk was finding his flow.
Dubois threw his first body shot in the final 30 seconds of the fifth and Usyk nodded.
But the Brit's output plummeted as he started to fear the brilliant counter punches that always pinged back in his direction when he dared to unload first.
Then it unraveled for Dubois when he was cracked with a right hand close to the back of his head.
DDD stumbled backwards and took a knee to recover and - to his credit - he jumped up on eight desperate to continue.
He looked to his dad in the corner and bit down on his gumshield after gasping for air and inspiration.
But it wasn't to come.
Usyk switched hands and scythed him down with a sickening straight left.
Dubois collapsed again and was never beating the count.
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Chaotic build-up tested Daniel Dubois before Oleksandr Usyk fight
As the clock neared midnight in the bowels of Wembley Stadium, Oleksandr Usyk was asked how it felt to be one of boxing's all-time great fighters. 'I'm just Alex, a Ukrainian guy,' said the two-times undisputed heavyweight champion. A rare bastion of modesty in a sport sold on macho, Usyk instead deferred the praise to the training team surrounding him, some of whom are childhood friends from Simferopol in Crimea, and have remained by his side throughout an astonishing run spanning an Olympic gold medal in 2012 and supremacy in two weight divisions. A few hours earlier in the opposing locker room, the contrast could hardly have been starker. Daniel Dubois had not arrived at Wembley until 8.20pm on Saturday, less than 90 minutes before he was due to make his ring walk. 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He then drove Daniel to the venue himself, which caused another administrative issue as only the designated vehicles had been accredited. They then walked to the stadium entrance on foot from the car park, but a video clip shows Stanley calling Daniel towards the door after security attempted to prevent some of his friends from entering. The source alleges Stanley essentially told them Daniel would not proceed without them. Stanley Dubois has been approached for comment. The commotion was described as an unnecessary distraction that truncated Dubois's final preparations for the bout. The gulf in class between Dubois and Usyk assured it would not have changed the result, but the fact that Stanley was in the corner, often shouting instructions over his trainer Don Charles throughout the fight, added to the sense of maelstrom. After the Briton's spirited but ultimately unsustainable effort in the first two rounds, it was Stanley who threw in the towel in the fifth after an overhand left knocked Dubois down for the second time. While Usyk's team celebrated their victory back in the changing room, it is understood Stanley left the stadium before Daniel with his younger brother, Solomon. Presumably, the entourage evaporated too. Dubois is still only 27 and showed clear improvements in victories over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, and Anthony Joshua to establish himself among the elite as the IBF champion — it should be noted that Stanley also threw a party before the Joshua fight to no great consequence. In fact, it is said to have eased Dubois's nerves compared to previous fights when he grew tense. Usyk may only have surrendered that belt because of boxing's political wranglings, but it is still no mean feat for a boxer forged in a cramped flat on a council estate in southeast London. 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