Boxing legend Lennox Lewis says Daniel Dubois knocked down number one heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk when the pair met a year ago.
Challenger Dubois put Usyk on the canvas with what was primarily seen as a low blow, with referee Luis Pabon giving the champion the benefit of the doubt. Usyk took a few minutes of respite at Pabon’s allowance before coming back, stopping Dubois and retaining his titles.
UK fans and promoter Frank Warren were unhappy with the ruling as they declared Dubois the real titleholder for weeks after the event. Even Lewis, whether his memory of the incident is not as good as it was, is now giving Dubois his props.
“Don’t cut out the guy who’s been waiting for a while. Just because he’s been quiet doesn’t mean he’s not deadly,” Lewis told Ring Magazine. “He was able to put Usyk down on the ground. This is something not a lot of people can do.
Lewis then described why Dubois has a chance to defeat Anthony Joshua this weekend at Wembley Stadium.
“The hunger, nobody knows his hunger as much as he does. Everybody sees him sitting back and going through the motions.
“I think a big telling was his last fight against [Filip Hrgovic] and the one before that against Jarrell Miller. That was a turning point for him when he got rid of Miller. He was in a fight, fighting a guy that was pretty rugged, and he decided in a sense that, ‘You can’t stay with me.’ And he stepped on the gas a little bit and stopped him, and that’s what he was supposed to do.
“There was no way Miller was supposed to go the distance with him. I was saying that before the fight, and he proved me right,” the former undisputed king added.
Unfortunately for Lewis, Dubois didn’t get the knockdown and lost to Usyk via knockout, but his powers of recovery since then have to be applauded. ‘DDD’ has lost twice since bludgeoning his way to the top and remains one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet and a world champion.
Joshua can become a three-time heavyweight titleholder if he can survive the shootout, which Lewis will attend as Riyadh Season comes to the UK.
Joshua vs. Dubois will occur at Wembley, England’s National Stadium, this Saturday night and will be broadcast worldwide on Pay Per View.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
