Ahead of the rematch, the trainer of IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs), Don Charles, revisited the fight between his fighter and WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBO titleholder Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs).
Charles claimed that the Ukrainian boxer faked a low blow to recover, asserting that it was actually a clean knockout punch from Dubois. The fight, which took place last August, ended with Usyk’s knockout victory in the 9th round.
“Mr. Usyk is a fake. An unmatched boxer, a masterful fighter, a genius in what he does and can do. But he’s a fraud, a liar, and a cheat.
He’s a man who says he fears God and constantly crosses himself. This is a message to Usyk—if you believe in the same God I and most of the world believe in, the one we call God, one of the Ten Commandments says you shall not lie.
He was knocked out, he was gone (after Dubois' punch – approx.). I saw it live. I didn’t need replays, I know what I saw with my own eyes.
This man managed to cheat his way back into the fight. I’ve said it in many, many interviews. No, f***ing way, that wasn’t a low blow,” Charles said.
Ready to Fight founder and CEO Serhii Lapin responded to the trainer.
“I think Don lives in a different reality. If he were a good coach, he wouldn’t have taught his fighter dirty punches. If it weren’t for those, the fight would’ve ended four rounds earlier.
A win over AJ doesn’t make you the kings of the division—AJ will be back,” Lapin wrote on Twitter.
To recap, on September 21 at Wembley Stadium in London, UK, Daniel Dubois won by stoppage over Anthony Joshua—scoring knockdowns in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th rounds. After the final knockdown, Joshua couldn’t get up before the count ended. KO 5.