Usyk–Dubois 2 Favorite Named by Joshua’s Coach: “He Can Break Him”

Renowned British trainer Ben Davison has shared his analysis ahead of the upcoming heavyweight rematch between Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs), the unified WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBO champion, and IBF titleholder Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs).

– Usyk–Dubois 2 will take place on July 19. Can you give us your technical assessment of the fight?

– Yes, I think Dubois will stick to a similar approach. In the first fight, he likely came in thinking he had to pressure Usyk — but executing that is a lot harder than it sounds.

People say you’ve just got to pressure him, but if it were that simple, someone would’ve done it already.

That said, Dubois is in great shape, so it’ll definitely be an interesting fight. Personally, I favor Usyk and expect a similar scenario to the first one.

– Do you think Daniel will target the body again? Last time, there was a lot of talk about a low blow. Was it a low blow?

– I think it was one of those borderline punches. In my opinion, the shot was a little low.

The referee could have ruled it either way — legal or foul. If you’re in Usyk’s corner, you’ll say it was low. If you’re in Dubois’ corner, you’ll say it was clean.

It was a gray-area moment — and that’s what it was. But it was just one moment in the fight. Usyk got up and went on to stop Daniel. We shouldn’t obsess over that single moment. Could he have gotten up right away? Possibly. There was a similar moment in the WSB — Usyk went down, the ref started counting, and he stood up immediately.

I think Usyk knows how to play to the crowd in situations like that. But he’s a fantastic fighter. I wouldn’t dwell on one episode. The fight continued, and Dubois still lost.

– Who wins the rematch?

– I believe Usyk wins again. He can break Dubois just like he did in the first fight.

But Daniel is a big, strong guy — and if he can land clean, get close, and take control, then he’s dangerous to anyone.

The rematch between Usyk and Dubois will take place on July 19 at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom. The fight will be for the undisputed heavyweight championship (over 90.7 kg).

In their first meeting in August 2023, Usyk stopped Dubois in the 9th round. In round 5, Dubois dropped Usyk with a body shot, but the referee ruled it a low blow, giving Usyk time to recover.

In December, Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by unanimous decision in their rematch. Dubois was originally scheduled to defend his title against Joseph Parker in February but withdrew due to illness.