Over the weekend, a boxing evening took place in Wroclaw, Poland, in the main event of which there was a heavyweight fight between Alexander Usik and Daniel Dubois.
Many were expecting a fight between Usik and the best heavyweight in the world, Tyson Fury, but it fell through. The parties did not agree on fees, and Fury chose ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou. Usik faced a less hyped challenger: he defeated Dubois and defended the IBF, WBO and WBA heavyweight belts.
Why is Usik’s victory considered controversial?
Usyk took almost all nine rounds and ended the fight with a technical knockout, hitting Dubois in the liver. Not everyone was impressed by the finish, and some fans even suspected the boxers of a fixed match.
![](http://southampton.top/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/293c2d9da962be4e874216f473a0c3a2_cropped_666x497.jpg)
However, this does not seem very true. After the defeat, Dubois and his team protest furiously — they are sure that Usyk lost by knockout in the fifth round. Dubois threw a punch to the body area, after which Usyk fell. The referee decided that the blow landed below the belt and stopped the fight for several minutes.
Everything was according to the rules — low blows are prohibited, and the referee gave Usyk time to recover. The fact of an illegal strike became controversial. You can decide for yourself from the frame whether the Briton was hit below the belt:
![Low blow that knocked Usyk down Low blow that knocked Usyk down](http://southampton.top/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/00a801bc3beeda1653b158aab5f73429_cropped_666x415.jpg)
Usyk is accused of simulation — his opponent is trying to overturn the result
On replay, it’s hard to see exactly where Dubois hit. Experts and fans disagreed: some believe that Usyk was faking, while others are sure that the blow fell below the belt. Although it is difficult to understand even on video.
Usik insists that his opponent punched him in the groin and is ready to give him revenge on the street: “Did I feel the power of Dubois? Not me, just my balls.”
Dubois’ team is trying to appeal the result of the fight — the boxer does not hide his anger: “I don’t think it was a blow below the belt! I was deceived and deprived of victory!”
Dubois’s promoter Frank Warren has already begun to act: “The victory was stolen from him, the blow fell on the elastic of his underpants. He worked on this shot throughout training camp. We knew that body protection was his weak point. The referee made a mistake. I like Usyk, but the judging was biased. This is nonsense, a real disgrace.”
![Usik spent several minutes recovering from the missed blow. Usik spent several minutes recovering from the missed blow.](http://southampton.top/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/de630c5c5af47f198884e70963ec2d90_cropped_640x465.jpg)
Many experts (such as the respected Teddy Atlas) agreed that the referee was wrong. But many believe that the most important thing is the place on the boxing shorts where the blow landed.
“Anything below the navel is classified as below the belt in boxing! This is not my opinion, this is a FACT! These are the rules! Your shorts shouldn’t cover your belly button, but if they do, it’s okay to hit there!” — says former world champion Tony Bellew.
![The place where Dubois hit The place where Dubois hit](http://southampton.top/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/00a801bc3beeda1653b158aab5f73429_cropped_666x415.jpg)
Let us remind you that this is Usik’s first fight in 2023. He last fought in August, when he defeated Anthony Joshua in a rematch. Usyk now has a record of 21–0 and holds the WBA, WBO and IBF championship belts.
By the way, before the fight, Usik gained a lot of size: he boasted about his form on social networks, which surprised many of his subscribers. In the fight with Dubois, for the first time in a long time, the boxer did not look small for his weight, which was noted before.
Usik confirmed that his power is enough to knock out in the heavy division. He was less mobile than usual, but it was enough to defeat Dubois.