Pound-for-pound star Oleksandr Usyk should feel very lucky to wake up this morning as the unified heavyweight champion of the world. That’s my take every single time I watch the replay of Daniel Dubois’ fifth-round body shot that deposited Usyk on the canvas for approximately 80 seconds at the Wroclaw Stadium in Poland.
Hyperbole to one side, this was perhaps the most controversial punch in a heavyweight championship fight since May 25, 1965. That was when Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston with a right hand (later named "The Phantom Punch") during the opening round of their rematch in Lewiston, Maine. Many in the arena that night didn’t see Ali's punch land and those who did felt that Liston sat it out.
MORE: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois full card results
Did Usyk sit it out? Let’s look at the facts.
Firstly, Usyk’s shorts were a touch high and we know that because his belly button wasn’t visible while the fight was in progress. Interestingly enough, the champ’s shorts were pulled down by his team after the bout had concluded. Second, the point of impact was somewhere around the naval area, adjacent to his waist. Third, referee Luis Pabon was perfectly positioned and he called it a low blow.
On. The. Belt. pic.twitter.com/gHG58Rybhl
— Chris Lloyd (@ChrisLloydTV) August 26, 2023
What I find interesting is that Pabon elected not to take a point from the challenger. Dubois had received a subtle warning for a low shot earlier in the contest, so he certainly wasn’t dicing with a deduction. However, this incident led to a monstrous delay in the fight, and Pabon ruled a low blow without hesitation. Wouldn’t a one-point deduction be appropriate if such a devastating shot was truly illegal?
In terms of broadcast analysis, former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton could not have been clearer with his opinion during the replay. "That’s not a low blow, that’s a body shot," said the Belfast man who was working for TNT Sports. "Daniel Dubois should be the unified heavyweight champion of the world." The U.S. broadcast was distributed by ESPN with Hall of Famer Tim Bradley on the commentary team. "That (punch) looks like it’s right on the belt line," said the ex-champion.
MORE: What's next for Oleksandr Usyk?
Usyk was largely in control during the fight. Of the eight completed rounds, the fleet-footed lefty won seven on two judges’ cards and six on the other. The champ’s speed, movement, feints, and sharp shooting befuddled Dubois for most of the contest, which is what most of us expected. By the time Usyk finished the job in the ninth, the London-based challenger looked like a stricken bull that had taken one too many sharp sticks. But that still doesn’t change what came before the kill.
As previously stated, Usyk was on the floor for well over a minute. Could he have gotten up if the referee started counting? Everything we know about Usyk tells us that he would have made an earnest attempt. However, would the Ukrainian hero have survived Dubois’ follow-up assault while in mortal agony and breathless? We’ll never know and that creates the requisite argument for a rematch.
Needless to say, Dubois' promoter, Frank Warren, was livid at the end of the contest and labelled Pabon’s low blow call "bulls---". In the immediate aftermath, social media was alight with "robbery" claims and that narrative is sure to continue.
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For my money, Dubois deserves another shot at the championship in a hurry. If Usyk’s long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury were to go ahead, then it would be nice to see both fighters agree that the winner should face Dubois in their very next fight. But all of this is easier said than done. We can expect the IBF to throw unbeaten mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic in Usyk’s direction imminently, so Dubois will likely be forced to play the waiting game.
It's almost certain that the WBA will receive a formal protest from Queensberry Promotions, who represent Dubois. What decision will the Panama-based organization make? That’ll be interesting because both fighters entered the ring as defending WBA heavyweight champions (Usyk as a "super" champ and Dubois as a "regular" champ). With a situation that absurd, don’t expect too much in the way of smart decision-making when it comes to last night’s controversy.