Daniel Dubois may have been robbed tonight. Many among boxing fans believe Daniel Dubois’s body shot to Oleksandr Usyk in the fifth round may not have been a low blow. After four rounds of a seemingly dominating performance from Usyk, Dubois started the fifth round with a vicious “body shot” to Oleksandr Usyk that left him crumbling on the canvas.
Dubois knocks out Usyk with a body shot to the bladder but gets called as a low blow… pic.twitter.com/JaIrZ2xC33
— Muliani (@MulianiEnt) August 26, 2023
During the replay, it seemed clear that the punch landed on the bottom edge of the belt. However, the referee, Luis Pabon, saw it differently and counted the body shot as a low blow. Oleksandr Usyk, who looked in no condition to continue the fight, was given five complete minutes to recover.
Was Daniel Dubois’ body shot to Oleksandr Usyk a low blow?
In the record books, certainly so. However, multiple angles of the sequence reveal that Daniel Dubois did not land a blow blow. The controversy surrounding referee Luis Pabon is so huge that fans are even calling it the biggest robbery in boxing history.
Dubois was robbed tonight. Oleksandr Usyk is a great man and a great champion but the 25-year-old Brit put him down with a clean and fair blow to the navel that was spun as a low blow. Bollocks. It wasn’t. Glory to Ukraine, but boxing embarrasses itself again. #UsykDubois pic.twitter.com/QLP7awIjQ4
— 27 Club! (@hassan_joks) August 26, 2023
We should be talking about how Usyk was stopped in 5. He was clearly hurt and dropped by a clean body shot…#UsykDubois pic.twitter.com/NgtKuKDkmc
— 𝐉𝐚𝐲🤼 (@JayMMA4) August 26, 2023
Boxing, a sport marred with several such accusations over the years, has once again found itself in a tough spot where favoritism over certain fighters seems to have taken precedence against fair play.
In the past, the controversy surrounding slow counts for Tyson Fury during the trilogy fight against Deontay Wilder and ringing the final bell during Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk before the seconds clock have made waves in the boxing community.
Can’t believe Dubios went into Poland, folded Usyk like a deck chair and is going to be coming home with an L. #usyk
— Sean Purves (@purv1875) August 26, 2023
Any shot below the navel in boxing is a low blow. While the replay in the fifth round doesn’t suggest a shot below the navel, the argument that Usyk’s shorts weren’t high and hence the shot was a low blow as also picked up heat.
Usyk shorts aren’t high. They never are. The belt isn’t legal. pic.twitter.com/g6a0DuSqgj
— Paul Smith (@PaulSmithJnr) August 26, 2023
Be that as it may, Oleksandr Usyk narrated the rest of the fight and took lessons from Joe Joyce, making great use of the jab to neutralize Daniel Dubois. After everything was said and done, Oleksandr Usyk emerged on top with a short right hand in the ninth round to earn his first KO victory in his seasoned professional boxing career.