Why Usyk Defeated Dubois the First Time: A Statistical Breakdown

On July 19 at Wembley Stadium in London, Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) and Britain’s Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) will meet again for the undisputed heavyweight championship.

Their first bout took place on August 26, 2023, in Wrocław, Poland, where Usyk won by ninth-round knockout.

Even two years later, that fight remains the subject of debate—primarily due to the controversial low blow that Dubois landed, which his camp insists was a legal body shot. Let’s revisit the bout from a statistical perspective using analysis from the Ready to Fight team.

Usyk: More Active, More Accurate — and Dubois' Best Round Wasn’t the Fifth

According to data reanalyzed by Ready to Fight and reviewed by professional judges, Usyk clearly outperformed Dubois in almost every key metric. He threw more punches (383 vs. 279) and landed more than twice as many (62 vs. 23). Usyk’s overall accuracy was 16%, while Dubois landed just 8% of his punches.

Usyk’s edge was most evident in the jab department: he landed 43 of 264 (16%), compared to Dubois, who landed only 10 of 163 (6%). Power punches were more evenly matched, with Usyk connecting on 19 of 119 (16%) and Dubois landing 13 of 116 (11%).

Usyk was also far more focused on headshots, landing 59 compared to Dubois’ 20. Both fighters landed three body punches each.

Usyk’s most accurate round was the fifth, where he connected on 21.9% of his shots. For Dubois, his best round came earlier — the fourth — when he landed 12.5% of his punches. The seventh was Usyk’s least accurate round (13.6%), while Dubois failed to land a single punch in the opening round.

Fifth Round: Usyk’s Best — Except for the Low Blow

The controversial fifth round, which featured the disputed low blow, was statistically Usyk’s strongest round. He landed punches with 21.9% accuracy, while Dubois managed just 7.1%.

Breaking it down, Usyk landed 4 of 19 jabs (21%) and 3 of 13 power punches (23%). Dubois landed 2 of 13 jabs (15.4%) and missed all 15 of his power punches in that round. The low blow, which sparked the controversy, was not included in the statistical count.

Interestingly, this round was also one of Dubois’ best in terms of jab activity — he landed more than twice his usual jab output — but he was completely ineffective in power shots.

Fight Statistics: Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois

Total punches thrown and landed:

– Usyk threw 383 punches and landed 62.

– Dubois threw 279 punches and landed 23.

Punch accuracy:

– Usyk – 16%, Dubois – 8%.

Jabs:

– Usyk threw 264 jabs and landed 43 (16%).

– Dubois threw 163 jabs and landed 10 (6%).

Power punches:

– Usyk threw 119 power punches and landed 19 (16%).

– Dubois threw 116 power punches and landed 13 (11%).

Head punches landed:

– Usyk – 59, Dubois – 20.

Body punches landed:

– Both fighters landed 3 body shots each.

Best round by accuracy:

– Usyk – Round 5 (21.9%), Dubois – Round 4 (12.5%).

Worst round by accuracy:

– Usyk – Round 7 (13.6%), Dubois – Round 1 (0%).

Photo: Seconds Out, Bloody Elbow