More than fists, focus, and resilience, belief often determines the outcomes in boxing matches. At the elite level, when skills fade, the mind can prevail. In modern boxing, there may not be a tougher mental warrior inside the ring than Oleksandr Usyk at 38 years old. The two-division undisputed champion has carved his path through discipline, which has enabled him to dominate the heavyweight division against some of the best heavyweights boxing has ever seen.
And in a few days, when a 27-year-old Daniel Dubois takes on the Ukrainian, this might be his toughest challenge yet. Over the years, many boxers have tried to break down ‘The Cat’ in two separate divisions. All have failed. And on July 19th, his second ever opponent at heavyweight, Derek Chisora, strongly believes the Wembley Stadium will bear witness to a similar result with Usyk once again walking out as the undisputed champion. Why?
You can’t break Oleksandr Usyk
Ahead of the undisputed heavyweight title clash, the veteran boxer, who suffered a loss at the hands of The Cat in 2020, shared his prediction while in a conversation with talksport. Over the years, Chisora and Usyk have formed an unlikely but close friendship rooted in mutual respect and war-tested grit. But even keeping that aside, DelBoy stated, “To beat Oleksandr Usyk, you have to be mentally disturbed in the head,” highlighting that Usyk operates on a different psychological plane altogether.
To highlight that, the 41-year-old recalled a conversation he had with the unified heavyweight champion a couple of months ago. Here, Chisora told talksport hosts how when Usyk went back to his country to help with the war effort and raise awareness, the 38-year-old spent a few days there. However, with the missiles constantly flying over him, rather than hiding in the bunker or a safe shelter for the time being, the Ukrainian just went to sleep.
“The guy lives in Ukraine. He goes, ‘Before I came on the plane, I was sleeping in my house, and then there was missiles going over my house, and I didn’t want to go in the bunker. I was like, I’ll just go to sleep.’ That’s some craziness, isn’t it?” Chisora recounted in absolute disbelief. “Imagine you’re in your house in Barley or Timbuktu and there are missiles going.” According to the Zimbabwean-British boxer, to defeat Oleksandr Usyk, you have to be ready for war. You need to risk everything, because “he’s looking to go to the other side,” the 41-year-old concluded.
So, Daniel Dubois needs to be ruthless and detach from any kind of fear and comfort. However, John Fury, father of Usyk’s sworn rival, Tyson Fury, thinks otherwise.
Can Daniel Dubois do the impossible?
A few weeks ago, Fury Sr. appeared in a SecondsOut interview to share his thoughts on the upcoming heavyweight clash. As a former professional boxer, the 60-year-old acknowledged the growth ‘DDD’ has shown in the last few years, and with the momentum, he can give Oleksandr Usyk his first loss. “He [Daniel Dubois] has every chance of it. You know, the man’s 38, 39 years old. He’s a big banger and he’s on a roll himself, isn’t he, [Daniel] Dubois?” he said, claiming that the 11-year age difference will play a massive role in the outcome.
Recalling Dubois’ fifth-round brutal win over Anthony Joshua, Fury Sr. stated, “Dubois has that knockout power. If he lands clean on a 38, 39-year-old Usyk—who’s had his tank emptied twice now by the Gypsy King—how much does he really have left? Is it the right time for Dubois? I think it is,” giving the Brit a solid chance of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion.
The two statements by Chisora and Fury Sr. convey the mood for this Wembley Stadium headliner. The combat world is torn down the middle, making this a complete 50-50 affair. So strap in, as it might go down as one of the most explosive heavyweight clashes in recent times.
Who do you think will walk out as the winner? Daniel Dubois or Oleksandr Usyk?
The post “You Have to Be Mentally Disturbed” – Daniel Dubois Warned by Oleksandr Usyk’s Ex-Rival Days Before Rematch appeared first on EssentiallySports.
