Former Dubois Trainer Highlights Crucial Factor in Usyk Rematch

Former trainer of IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, Shane McGuigan, shared his thoughts on the upcoming rematch between the British fighter and Ukrainian unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.

“I think Daniel’s in much better shape now. He certainly didn’t take the previous fight as a loss, which is actually a great mindset. He sort of filed it away in his head as a fight he should have won. And he’s had great momentum since then – Miller, Hrgović, Joshua,” said McGuigan.

“But I’m convinced that after four or five rounds, when he’s working at a pace he’s not used to — doesn’t like to work at — it’ll catch up with him. Hrgović upped the pace, Joshua upped the pace, and Miller forced him to fight his fight. But Daniel managed to turn those fights around.

Usyk, though, fights at a completely different pace. So I think this whole rematch will come down to one thing — tempo. That’s the key factor that shuts your brain down. And when you keep getting hit, you just start letting the win slip away from you.”

Full breakdown of the rematch, with stats and style analysis — available here.

Photo: Goal