Usyk Vs Dubois II: Rejecting Old, Usyk Ready To Silence Dubois Again At Wembley

Oleksandr Usyk dismissed the notion that his age would be a weakness against Daniel Dubois (right) (photo: x @MelbetBj)

JAKARTA - Oleksandr Usyk dismissed the notion that his age would be a weakness against Daniel Dubois in the duel for the undisputed heavyweight world title at Wembley Stadium, Saturday 19 July.

Usyk, who is now 38 years old and holds the WBA (Super), WBO, and WBC belts, will face IBF belt holder Daniel Dubois for the second time. In their first meeting in August 2023, Usyk won with a ninth round of TKO wins.

"I respect this young man," Usyk said of Dubois, quoted by VOI from the BBC. "He's motivated, but I'm also. I'm not an old man '38' not old age. We'll see later."

The press conference before the fight started 48 minutes late, with the two boxers remaining calm while each team made satire with each other.

Usyk's record in professional boxing has not been tarnished in 23 fights. He also has a sweet history in London, including when he won a heavyweight gold medal at the 2012 Olympics. Even so, Saturday's fight will be his first at Wembley Stadium.

Meanwhile, Dubois, 11 years younger than Usyk, has won three times in a row since his defeat to the Ukrainian champion. His last win came at Wembley, when he shocked the world by defeating Anthony Joshua in September 2024.

"Right now I just want to fight," said Dubois. "I will write my own script. They have the story, and I have my story. I will win those belts and become number one."

Dubois has a record of 22 wins (21 knockouts) and two defeats. If he wins, he will be the first British boxer to hold the undisputed status of world heavyweight champion in the era of four belts, following in the footsteps of Lennox Lewis, who last won in 1999 when he was still in the era of three belts.

Usyk's manager, Egis Klimas, stated that Dubois had not changed much since their first fight. The statement sparked a reaction from Dubois coach Don Charles, who accused Klimas of "sleeping" for the past two years.

"If I sleep, it means Usyk has beaten Tyson Fury twice while I was asleep," replied Klimas.

Usyk did make history by becoming the heavyweight world champion of the first four-belt era in history after defeating Tyson Fury in May 2024, then repeating his victory over the Gypsy King in December of the same year. However, many consider the two long-distance matches to add to Usyk's burden and physical age.

At a press conference, Usyk appeared wearing a long white robe and traditional black fur hat, holding a prayer beads and praying in silence. On the other hand, Dubois looks relaxed wearing a tracksuit and hat, without much provocative speech.

Unlike the April 2025 press conference, this time there was no discussion about the controversial low blow that occurred in their first meeting.

Usyk Is More Supported

Despite being a guest boxer, Usyk seems to have greater support from fans. This can be seen from the open training session and also the press conference where Usyk supporters cheered harder than the Dubois camp.

Dubois tried to cheer his team up by waving their hands on the face-off, but after he stepped down, Usyk instead remained standing up and invited Dubois promoter Frank Warren to do a face-to-face shootout.

"Daniel is entering its golden age," Warren said. "He has had a good experience and has fought quality opponents at a young age. He knows he can hurt Usyk because he has done it."

"I fully believe he could beat one of the great champions in heavyweight boxing history."