Latest news with #LennoxLewis
Jordan Times
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Jordan Times
Usyk knocks out Dubois to become undisputed world heavyweight champion
LONDON — Oleksandr Usyk cemented his status as the outstanding heavyweight of his generation with an emphatic fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois in their undisputed world title bout at London's Wembley Stadium on Saturday. Victory saw Ukraine's Usyk extend his unbeaten professional record to 24 fights as the WBA, WBC and WBO champion added his British opponent's IBF belt to his collection. Usyk, now a two-time undisputed champion, dominated the opening four rounds. And early in the fifth he dropped Dubois to the canvas. Moments later he finished the fight in decisive fashion after a trademark left hook left his British rival unable to beat the count one minute and 52 seconds into the round. It was the second time Usyk, at 38 some 11 years older than his opponent, had defeated Dubois following a ninth-round stoppage success in Krakow, Poland, in 2023, where the Briton was ruled to have landed an illegal low blow in the fifth round. Lennox Lewis, the last British boxer to be undisputed world champion in 1999, forecast before Saturday's fight that Usyk would face a vastly-improved Dubois, saying: "Dubois was a baby in the sport and now he's a not going to see the same Daniel Dubois from 18 months ago." But after Usyk was roared into the ring by a huge contingent of supporters, many of them waving Ukraine national flags in a 90,000 capacity crowd at Wembley, best known as the London base of England's national football team, it was largely one-way traffic as their hero conducted a ruthless masterclass against local favourite Dubois. "38 is a young guy, remember!," Usyk told DAZN in the ring after dropping to his knees in celebration. "38 is only start! "I want to say thank you to Jesus Christ. I want to say thank you to my team and Wembley, thank you so much! It's for the people. "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." 'Modern-day legend' Asked about his next opponent Usyk, who has already twice beaten former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, added: "Maybe it's Tyson Fury. Maybe we have three choices, Derek Chisora and Anthony Joshua. Maybe Joseph Parker. Listen, I cannot now say because I want to go back home." Dubois insisted he would return to the ring, saying: "I have to commend him [Usyk] on the performance, I gave everything I had. Take no credit away from that man, I'll be back." His trainer, Don Charles, added: "We tried to get going, Dubois is a young will be back stronger. If you're going to lose, lose to someone like Usyk." And promoter Frank Warren, a veteran of the British boxing scene, said: "Usyk is a modern-day legend. In any generation he would be a great fighter. No complaints, the better man won on the night. "It's Joe Parker's time." Usyk, meanwhile, basked in the adulation following the latest dazzling victory of a career that has seen him emerge as a national hero in his war-torn homeland. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky was among the first to congratulate Usyk on his victory. "An undisputed champion. A legend. One of our own," Zelensky wrote on X. "Thank you for the strength and inspiration you give to the whole country with every victory. Thank you for stepping into each fight with Ukraine in your heart."
The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Usyk vs Dubois 2: Ranking the 10 best wins ever by British fighters
Daniel Dubois will get his shot at redemption on Saturday night when he takes on Oleksandr Usyk for the second time with the undisputed heavyweight championship on the line. Usyk knocked Dubois out in the ninth round of their first meeting two years ago, and has since beaten Tyson Fury twice to establish himself as the world's best in boxing's blue-riband division. Usyk is the pound-for-pound No 1 fighter in the world according to The Ring, highlighting the task ahead of Dubois. If Dubois can pull off the upset it would be one of the greatest nights in British boxing history. But whose footsteps would he be following in? Let's take a look at the 10 best wins ever by British fighters ahead of Saturday's showdown. 10. Lennox Lewis vs Evander Holyfield 2 Lewis and Holyfield went head-to-head for heavyweight supremacy at the end of the 20th century across two fights. The first ended in controversial fashion. Many believed Lewis had comfortably done enough to get his hand raised but the bout was scored a split decision draw. An immediate rematch was scheduled, with Lewis and Holyfield trading leather for another 12 rounds. It appeared the rematch was closer, but this time Lewis was given the nod as he cemented himself as the best heavyweight on the planet. 9. Naseem Hamed vs Kevin Kelley Hamed was brimming with confidence as he headed Stateside for the first time in his career to take on Kelley in New York, but it almost all went horribly wrong. The Sheffield featherweight went down three times in the opening rounds of the contest but refused to take a backwards step as he kept looking to knock out his rival. In the fourth round, Hamed landed a peach of a left hand to leave Kelley out for the count as he announced himself to the American audience. Due to the level of adversity that he overcame to retain his title, Hamed deserves to make this list. 8. Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko Some may argue that Klitschko was 41 when he entered the ring in April 2017 to try and win his heavyweight title back from Joshua. But the Ukrainian was still bouncing around on his toes like a 21-year-old and gave the Brit all he could handle that night in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley. The two men traded knockdowns and it seemed Joshua was out on his feet on more than one occasion as the fight moved into the championship rounds. But he somehow summoned some energy out of nowhere to knock Klitschko down twice in the 11th round before the referee jumped in to halt the contest. It was an epic fight where Joshua had to dig incredibly deep to get over the line and send Klitschko into retirement. 7. Nigel Benn vs Gerald McClellan McClellan was a wrecking machine when he travelled over to London to face Benn in February 1995. And the fight could not have started worse for Benn as he was knocked out of the ring following a huge onslaught by the American. There has been plenty of debate over whether Benn was given too much time to get back into the ring, but the referee waved the fight on. Following his disastrous start, Benn gradually worked his way back into the contest before McClellan eventually took a knee in the 10th round and the fight was stopped. The world title clash is remembered for the tragic ending, with McClellan subsequently being diagnosed with a severe brain injury after taking significant punishment. But from Benn's perspective, it was a tremendous performance as he battled back from a huge knockdown to get the win. 6. Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder 2 Fury and Wilder first faced each other in December 2018. It was the former who controlled the majority of the fight, but Wilder scored two knockdowns to earn a draw. Fury had boxed off the back foot that night and many expected him to do the same in the rematch. However, the 'Gypsy King' had other ideas. He immediately took the centre of the ring and pushed Wilder back as he dominated from the opening bell. Wilder had no answers and was knocked down twice before his corner threw in the towel during the seventh round. It was a spectacular performance from Fury as he took Wilder's title and unbeaten record from him. They fought for a third time the following year, with Fury surviving two knockdowns before stopping Wilder again. 5. Joe Calzaghe vs Jeff Lacy Lacy had been billed as a mini-Mike Tyson when he came over to Manchester for a unification clash with Calzaghe in March 2006. He was unbeaten in 21 fights and was heavily favoured to hand Calzaghe his first loss, with the Welshman well into his thirties and struggling with hand problems. Calzaghe would later admit that he contemplated pulling out of the fight due to injury, but he was convinced by his father and trainer, Enzo, to face Lacy. From the opening bell, Calzaghe delivered a masterful display as he rattled off combinations at will. Lacy showed tremendous bravery but was outclassed round after round and eventually went down in the 12th. His corner ought to have thrown in the towel to save their fighter for another day but Lacy just about made it to the final bell. There was no doubting who had won as Calzaghe proved what a special talent he really was. 4. Tyson Fury vs Wladimir Klitschko Fury makes the list for a second time after he managed to dethrone long-standing heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. The younger Klitschko had dominated the division for almost a decade while fighting out of his adopted homeland in Germany, and few gave Fury much hope of ending his reign. But Fury went over to Dusseldorf full of confidence after getting into Klitschko's head by dressing as Batman for their launch press conference and then constantly trash-talking the Ukrainian. Once the pair got into the ring, it was Fury who took control as he used his superior reach to keep Klitschko at bay. It was not the most entertaining fight ever with exchanges becoming scrappy at times – leading to this win not quite making the top three - but Fury's ring generalship was very impressive as he came away with a unanimous decision victory. 3. Ricky Hatton vs Kostya Tszyu Hatton took on pound-for-pound star Tszyu in front of his adoring fans in Manchester, but they had probably arrived at the venue more in hope than expectation. Tszyu had only lost once in the previous decade and was the man to beat in the light-welterweight division. He possessed knockout power in both hands, and there was a feeling that it would only be a matter of time before Hatton walked on to a big shot. But the Mancunian stuck to his gameplan, getting on the inside so that he could not be caught on the end of Tszyu's punches. He set a ferocious pace that Tszyu simply could not live with, and the fight was waved off ahead of the final round with Tszyu unable to continue. The MEN Arena – as it was known at the time – erupted, as Hatton collapsed to the canvas after producing the performance of his life. 2. Ken Buchanan vs Ismael Laguna Buchanan is widely regarded as the best fighter to ever come out of Scotland, and this clash with Laguna in 1970 went some way to cementing his legacy. Buchanan had retired the previous year after growing frustrated with his lack of opportunities, but he came back to take on Laguna in Puerto Rico. The fight took place in sweltering conditions, making the task even tougher for Buchanan, but the Scot still produced some dazzling combinations to keep Laguna at arm's length. It was a closely-fought contest, but it was Buchanan who won a split decision to claim the WBA and The Ring lightweight titles. Buchanan keeping his cool in unbearable heat against a world-class foe marked this out as one of the all-time great wins. 1. Lloyd Honeyghan vs Donald Curry Almost 40 years on, this victory is still top of the tree. When Honeyghan travelled over to New Jersey in September 1986 he was a huge underdog against the unbeaten Curry. It seemed a formality that pound-for-pound star Curry would defend his welterweight titles before moving up to light-middleweight. Instead, Honeyghan made a fast start and rocked Curry in the second round. Just as Curry appeared to be gaining a foothold in the fight, Honeyghan hurt him again in the fifth and then dominated the sixth, leading to Curry's corner throwing in the towel. Winning on foreign soil is tough enough, but beating one of the best fighters on the planet to become unified champion is another matter altogether. That's exactly what Honeyghan did on that famous night in 1986.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois 2: Classic heavyweight rematches revisited
Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois will lock horns once more in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night for the right to be called the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Their first meeting two years ago went the way of the Ukrainian, but Dubois maintains that a low blow that floored Usyk in the fifth round was a legitimate shot and should have led to a knockout victory in his favour. After being given time to recover, Usyk regained control of the contest and went on to stop his British rival inside nine rounds. Now, Dubois will have the chance for revenge in a highly-anticipated return bout. There have been some classic heavyweight rematches - let's take a look at 10 of the very best… Lennox Lewis vs Hasim Rahman Lennox Lewis was the best heavyweight on the planet by a distance at the turn of the millennium and he was not expected to be significantly challenged when he travelled to South Africa to face Hasim Rahman in April 2001. But in the fifth round, Lewis was caught by a huge overhand right and he was in no position to continue when he rose to his feet as Rahman pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent heavyweight history. Lewis would later claim that he had been distracted by activities away from the ring, while the high altitude in South Africa was also raised as a potential reason for his lacklustre performance. Seven months later, Lewis went back in with Rahman, this time in Las Vegas. A razor-focused Lewis took control from the opening bell, and in the fourth round he picked his moment to unleash a vicious right hand that left Rahman flat on his back. The referee did not even need to count, and Lewis had his redemption. Muhammad Ali vs Henry Cooper Muhammad Ali faced the hugely popular Henry Cooper at Wembley in June 1963, and it almost all went horribly wrong for 'The Greatest'. In the closing stages of the fourth round, Cooper landed his signature left hook on Ali's jaw to knock the American down. The bell rang shortly afterwards, and Ali was then given extra time in his corner after his trainer Angelo Dundee pointed out to the referee a split in one of his gloves. That was enough time for Ali to recover and he went back out to stop Cooper on cuts the following round. After narrowly avoiding a shock loss, Ali would go on to become world champion in 1964, but two years later he returned to London to face Cooper again at Highbury. Despite Cooper having the crowd behind him, Ali dominated the rematch and picked up a sixth-round stoppage victory. Gene Tunney vs Jack Dempsey This rematch from September 1927 has gone down in folklore as 'The Long Count Fight'. Jack Dempsey had been the best heavyweight for the first half of the 1920s but was surprisingly beaten on points by Gene Tunney in 1926. The return fight took place a year later and Dempsey knocked Tunney down in the seventh round. However, Dempsey did not go to the neutral corner immediately, leading to the count starting late. Almost a century later, debate still remains over how important those extra few seconds were for Tunney as he bounced back to secure another unanimous decision win. It would prove to be the final fight of Dempsey's glittering career, while Tunney fought once more before hanging up his gloves. Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder Tyson Fury was only months into his comeback from almost three years away from the ring when he fought Deontay Wilder for the first time in December 2018. The Brit showed few signs of ring rust as he boxed off the back foot to earn a draw, despite being knocked down twice. A rematch simply had to happen, and it was scheduled for February 2020. After having a little over a year to make adjustments, Fury completely changed his tactics and walked down Wilder from the first bell. His front-foot strategy worked as he knocked Wilder down twice and then trapped his rival in the corner, leading to Wilder's corner throwing the towel in during the seventh round. The rematch was conclusive enough for most fans, but a third fight did take place the following year. Once again, it was Fury who came out on top, this time stopping Wilder in the 11th round. Lennox Lewis vs Evander Holyfield The battle for heavyweight supremacy saw Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield face one another in March 1999. Many ringside observers felt Lewis did more than enough to get his hand raised, but the fight was scored a split decision draw to the disgust of the Brit. Exactly eight months later, it was time to settle the score. The Las Vegas rematch appeared far closer than the first fight, but this time there was a winner. Lewis was declared the victor to become the final undisputed champion of the 20th century. Muhammad Ali vs Leon Spinks Ali was way past his best when he suffered a surprise loss to Leon Spinks in February 1978 to relinquish his heavyweight titles. The days of the 'Rumble in the Jungle' and the 'Thrilla in Manila' were long gone, and many wondered how much Ali had left. He accepted an immediate rematch with Spinks as he tried to become a three-time heavyweight champion at the age of 36. The ageing legend had to dig deep to overcome his much younger foe, but managed to get over the line to get a decision victory. It would prove to be the final win of his iconic career. Joe Louis vs Max Schmeling The two fights between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling came at a time of rising political tensions in the 1930s. Louis was the most successful black boxer of the time, while Schmeling hailed from Germany who were being ruled by the Nazis. It was Schmeling who took Louis' unbeaten record in 1936 by stopping his opponent in the 12th round. Louis got his shot at revenge two years later, and he took it emphatically. The heavyweight great knocked his opponent out in the first round to regain his crown. Evander Holyfield vs Riddick Bowe Riddick Bowe ended Evander Holyfield's reign as heavyweight champion when he outpointed him in November 1992 in Las Vegas. It was a highly-competitive contest, leading to a rematch being arranged for the following year. Once again, both men stood toe-to-toe as they exchanged leather but there was one particular incident that the rematch will always be remembered for. During the second minute of the seventh round, parachutist James 'Fan Man' Miller crashed into the ring, causing the bout to be delayed by 21 minutes. Once the fight resumed, Holyfield went on to record a majority decision win. A trilogy bout followed, with Bowe knocking Holyfield out in the eighth round to end their rivalry. Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston Ali was the underdog when he was handed the chance to dethrone Sonny Liston in February 1964. But after trash-talking Liston for months, Ali then delivered in the ring as he outboxed his rival over six rounds to announce himself as the best heavyweight in the world. The following year, in his first fight since changing his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, the rematch took place. The second fight was even easier for Ali as he knocked Liston out in a little over two minutes. A right hand sent Liston down, although some were unconvinced as to how well the blow connected. It became known as the 'Phantom Punch' with some questioning whether Liston may have stayed down to intentionally lose the fight. Evander Holyfield vs Mike Tyson We've saved the most controversial for last. Mike Tyson had regained his titles from Frank Bruno when he fought Holyfield for the first time, but it was Holyfield who upset the odds to stop Tyson in the 11th round. It was an all-time classic bout, with Holyfield having to withstand Tyson's early onslaughts before coming on strong in the latter part of the fight. The rematch took place the following summer, with Tyson aiming to follow in Ali's footsteps by becoming a three-time champion. However, Tyson quickly grew frustrated with what he believed to be excessive use of the head by Holyfield. In a moment that has gone down in boxing history, Tyson stunningly decided to bite Holyfield's ear. Holyfield immediately reacted furiously, but the referee did not initially spot what had happened. Tyson went in for a second bite, and this time the referee did intervene as he stepped in to disqualify Tyson. Pandemonium ensued in the ring as security tried to keep both teams apart. Tyson was handed a suspension, and did not return to the ring for another 18 months.
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘If you're listening, please don't hurt me' – DAZN pundit risks Lennox Lewis' wrath with controversial Usyk take
A DAZN pundit risked the wrath of Lennox Lewis with a controversial take on Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian ace destroyed Daniel Dubois in Saturday's rematch to unify the heavyweight division and continue his streak as the undisputed king of the ring. 6 Lennox Lewis had plenty to say on DAZN after Olekandr Usyk's win over Daniel Dubios Credit: Getty 6 Fellow pundit Darren Barker had a controversial take on the heavyweight division Credit: Getty 6 Kate Scott ended up picking a side Credit: Getty Many now feel But DAZN pundit and former boxer Darren Barker went even further. READ MORE IN BOXING He went and declared Usyk as the best heavyweight fighter in HISTORY. However, Barker put his foot in it with his comments. That's because they were said in the presence of former heavyweight champion Lewis, who was also on duty for DAZN last night and was king of the division three times. Barker realised the error of his ways after hailing Usyk as the heavyweight's greatest-ever fighter. Most read in Boxing BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS He yelped: 'Lennox Lewis, if you're listening, please don't hurt me.' This caused Lewis, who won 41 of his 44 fights and retired in 2004 as the undisputed and unified heavyweight champ, to reply: 'Usyk's the greatest champion of HIS era. Oleksandr Usyk has press conference in stitches as he NAMES the left hook that floored Daniel Dubois at Wembley 6 Usyk knocked out Dubois in the fifth round with a powerful punch Credit: Getty 6 It saw him add the IBF title to his incredible collection Credit: Getty 6 Lewis was a three-time heavyweight champ and retired as the undisputed king Credit: Getty 'I'm the greatest champion in MY era.' Host Kate Scott quickly took Lewis' side in the debacle. She chimed in: 'Tell him, Lennox!' 'You just run out of things to say' – Usyk is a modern day great and one of the best boxers we have ever seen OLEKSANDR USYK is a modern day great and one of the best boxers we have ever seen. The Ukrainian Two of those came at heavyweight after he had already cleaned up the cruiserweight division. You just run out of things to say about Usyk. Everything that he does just impresses you more and more and more.
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
‘If you're listening, please don't hurt me' – DAZN pundit risks Lennox Lewis' wrath with controversial Usyk take
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A DAZN pundit risked the wrath of Lennox Lewis with a controversial take on Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian ace destroyed Daniel Dubois in Saturday's rematch to unify the heavyweight division and continue his streak as the undisputed king of the ring. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Lennox Lewis had plenty to say on DAZN after Olekandr Usyk's win over Daniel Dubios Credit: Getty 6 Fellow pundit Darren Barker had a controversial take on the heavyweight division Credit: Getty 6 Kate Scott ended up picking a side Credit: Getty Usyk put down brave Brit Dubois in the fifth round with a stunning strike. It saw him take his rival's IBF title, the last belt missing from his collection. Many now feel Usyk is one of the best to ever do it. But DAZN pundit and former boxer Darren Barker went even further. READ MORE IN BOXING QUEEN LEER Jake Paul's fiancee Jutta Leerdam steals show as she arrives for Usyk vs Dubois He went and declared Usyk as the best heavyweight fighter in HISTORY. However, Barker put his foot in it with his comments. That's because they were said in the presence of former heavyweight champion Lewis, who was also on duty for DAZN last night and was king of the division three times. Barker realised the error of his ways after hailing Usyk as the heavyweight's greatest-ever fighter. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS He yelped: 'Lennox Lewis, if you're listening, please don't hurt me.' This caused Lewis, who won 41 of his 44 fights and retired in 2004 as the undisputed and unified heavyweight champ, to reply: 'Usyk's the greatest champion of HIS era. Oleksandr Usyk has press conference in stitches as he NAMES the left hook that floored Daniel Dubois at Wembley 6 Usyk knocked out Dubois in the fifth round with a powerful punch Credit: Getty 6 It saw him add the IBF title to his incredible collection Credit: Getty 6 Lewis was a three-time heavyweight champ and retired as the undisputed king Credit: Getty 'I'm the greatest champion in MY era.' Host Kate Scott quickly took Lewis' side in the debacle. She chimed in: 'Tell him, Lennox!'
