Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois LIVE: Ukrainian puts his world heavyweight title belts on the line against his British challenger

From high drama after a low blow to down and out in the ninth.

Nothing went right for Daniel Dubois as his world heavyweight title dream evaporated into a war charged Ukrainian night across the Polish border.

Controversy was roused by claims that the fifth round body blow from Dubois on Oleksandr Usyk was not low enough for the WBA, IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine title monopolist to have been given several long, long minutes to recover before he returned to his task of patiently defusing our Dynamite Daniel.

READ JEFF POWELL’s report from Wroclaw here

‘Usyk didn’t look as good as he has in his previous fights.

‘The Tyson Fury fight will happen next I think.’

‘That was on the band, that didn’t touch the flesh, but is it a low blow?,’ says Steve Bunce on TNT Sports.

‘Frank Warren is right, the governing bodies will order a rematch.

‘If they don’t we’ll lobby.’

Carl Frampton insists on TNT Sports that he does not believe Dubois caught Usyk with a low blow.

‘I still don’t think it was [a low blow],’ Frampton said.

‘The shot was borderline, some referees would say it was low and others would let you get away with it.

‘For me it wasn’t low, Usyk has used his experience and taken a body shot.

‘That did not hit the part that he has led us to believe it hit him, he has taken a body shot, he has thought I can get away with pretending this is low.

‘He took a rest because he has been hit by a bodyshot.’

Dubois promoted Frank Warren was speaking on TNT Sports and has labelled the decision not to award the Briton a fifth round stoppage as a ‘hometown decision’ in favour of Usyk.

‘I like Usyk, but that was a complete home decision,’ Warren says. He was not fit to go on and they gave him a couple of minutes to recover.

‘It should be straight and it should be above board. How long did he get to recover? The governing bodies will have to look at that and order a rematch.

‘We will order appeal what’s happened here. It’s all about a legitimate punch that stopped him and he should have won.

‘[On Fury facing Usyk] Everyone wants to see the unification. If Daniel had got the result then it would have been easy to do.’

Daniel Dubois is fuming in the arena.

‘I have been cheated out of victory tonight,’ Dubois says.

The fifth round punch is played again in the venue.

‘How is that a low blow?,’ Dubois says.

‘I feel good,’ Usyk says when asked about being knocked down in the fifth round. 

‘Boxing is a tough sport, I am great.

‘I respect my opponent. It is not ballet, it is boxing. It is a king sport.

‘I am ready tomorrow for Tyson Fury. Next fight, I am ready for Tyson Fury.

‘Will Tyson Fury, I have no idea.’

Dubois is down again and the referee waves the fight off!

Usyk wins and retains his belts!

A big right hander does the damage, with Dubois having been unable to recover from that previous round.

JEFF POWELL: Down goes Dubois again. The job finished with a deadly straight right from which he fails to beat the count

Dubois hits the canvas.

The Briton had put together a fine round, but the final 10 seconds sees Usyk rock him and Dubois stumbles.

The referee steps in for a count but Dubois is back on his feet.

Thankfully for Dubois he only had seconds of the round remaining.

The bell sounds and brief respite for Dubois.

JEFF POWELL: Dubois bewildered by Usyk and goes down I last seconds of eight from a curious combination 10-8

Over halfway in the contest now.

Dubois camp said they needed to make this fight a scrap and it certainly feels like one now.

The pair trade bodyshots and Uysk ends the round with a couple of combinations.

JEFF POWELL: Usyk in control. 10-9

Carl Frampton on TNT Sports insists the referee has got that decision wrong over Dubois low blow on Usyk.

Frampton suggests Usky should have been counted out, deeming Dubois to have landed a fair body shot.

Dubois has come into the contest more.

JEFF POWELL: Dubois follows the plan by going to the body but gets picked off for his trouble and shipping punishment at the r of the sixth 10-9

Dubois may have poked the bear here.

After taking his time to recover Usyk has gone on the offensive in the closing stages of the round.

Usyk hits Dubois with a fearsome left hander as he increases the pace.

Some afters between the pair as the bell sounds.

JEFF POWELL: High drama as Dubois lands very low and Usyk crumples to the canvas. Long minutes go by before he struggles to his feet . He is given all the time he needs to recover. When he does he goes angrily onto the assault. They carry on slugging after the bell. 9-10

Usyk goes down in the fifth round with Dubois hitting his opponent with a low punch.

The Ukrainian is being given time to recover from the blow from Dubois.

That hurt Usyk and he has taken time to recover. The crowd boos and express their disapproval at Dubois low blow.

Don Charles is urging Dubois to use his left hand in the early stages of the fourth round.

Usyk is hit by a Dubois jab but then strikes back with one of his own.

JEFF POWELL: Dubois starts to reach for his big right but Usyk brnhs the leg left int play. Closer but still the champion’s round 10-9

Rain which been forecast for dawn arrived just before they entered the ring.

With the fighters dry beneath a giant canopy it did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm which boiled over when President Zelenskyy appeared on the giants to deliver a rallying cry for Ukraine in their war.

Usyk’s footwork is impressive as he darts forward.

Dubois is struggling to land any punches of note in this third round, with Usyk staying on the outside.

Another good round for the Ukrainian.

JEFF POWELL: Usyk starting to slip through the gears. 10-9

A straight left hand from Usyk catches Dubois midway through the second round, which knocks Dubois a step back.

The Ukrainian is setting a fearsome pace and connects with Dubois again.

JEFF POWELL: No cavalry charge yet from Dubois but he was touch more offensive in the second even though Usyk’s Kia pocketed another round 10-9

‘Usyk, Usyk, Usyk’ chant the crowd as the atmosphere reaches fever pitch.

The bell sounds and we are underway.

A close opening round with Usyk landing a few jabs in the early stages.

JEFF POWELL: They began sizing each other up Usyk, usually a slow starter, won the first comfortably on jabs 10-9

The Ukrainian national anthem is sung by thousands in the arena, including Uysk.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, let’s get ready to rumble’ says Michael Buffer, as the MC begins the introductions to the two boxers.

Oleksandr Uysk now makes his way to the ring to huge applause in the venue.

Ukrainian singer Vasyl Zhadan provides the music for his walk.

Time for the national anthems, starting with God Save the King.

Here comes the challenger.

Dubois looks calm and composed as he makes his way to the ring dressed in purple.

The Briton walks out to Bob Marley’s ‘So Much Things to Say’

Michael Buffer hands over to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a pre-fight message.

Zelenskyy talks of the strength of the Ukranian people, shown through Usyk, as well as the ongoing support of countries like Poland and Britain amid the ongoing war.

Usyk will be making his fifth bout in the heavyweight division, having made his name – and earned his first world title – at cruiserweight. 

As such, the Ukrainian had to undergo a sizeable transformation when he made the transition in 2019 ahead of his heavyweight debut against Chazz Witherspoon.

READ MORE:

Paul also TNT Sports that he is happy to see ex-UFC fighter Francis Ngannou have a crossover fight with Tyson Fury

‘I am excited for Francis to get this opportunity’ Paul said.

‘He is finally getting the pay he deserves.

‘I fought all of these fighters and none of them have troubled me.

‘Tyson will provide the smoke but Francis has the one punch knock-out power.’

Jake Paul is present, because of course he is.

The Problem Child says he linked up with Usyk earlier this week and saw him just before tonight’s main event.

‘I wanted to come out here to support him. I saw him just now before the fight. He seems very focused,’ Paul says.

‘I am part Polish so it is nice to see my home land.’

Paul has backed Usyk to win by a ninth round stoppage.

‘That was my first fight ever, not just my pro debut, it was a blessing to be here tonight,’ Hamed says in the ring.

‘What a night, I felt like I put on a performance.

‘This is just a stepping stone to where I want to get to.

‘I am passionate about this game, I am not here to take part, I am here to take over.’

Hrdy has one win and two defeats so far in his career.

Hamed unsurprisingly is on the front foot and pins Hrdy into the corner.

A flurry of punches and it is a first round stoppage, as Hrdy’s coach throws in the towel.

Extremely straightfoward for the debutant.

‘The son of a legend is coming’

No pressure then. Britain’s Aadam Hamed, the son of former world champion Prince Naseem Hamed is being introduced to the arena ahead of his professional debut.

The 23-year-old is heading out to face Vojtech Hrdy, with the Czech fighter already in the ring.

Hamed is strutting out during his ring walk, with his dad present in the crowd.

Mail Sport’s KEVIN QUIGLEY got to shoot Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk this week in an exclusive photoshoot…

Take a look at the best of the snaps here ahead of the encounter.

Pictures of both Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois in their respective dressing rooms as the build-up continues to tonight’s main event.

Derek Chisora has given a blunt assessment of the task facing Dubois with the Briton likely to face an intimidating atmosphere this evening.

‘He is about to get an absolute nightmare,’ Chisora tells TNT Sports.

‘They are all coming out now.

‘He will have to compose himself and have that I don’t care face

‘If you want to be a champion, you have to go to the champion’s yard and win.

‘Daniel has to come and not give a care and just go for it.

‘If he messes around, it will be a tough night for him.’

The scorecards are in and it is a unanimous decision in favour of Denys Berinchyk, with the Ukrainian extending his unbeaten record to 18-0.

The judges score the fight 117-111, 115-113, 116-112 in Berinchyk’s favour.

Delight for the Ukrainian fans in their adopted home crowd.

Both Denys Berinchyk and Anthony Yigit raised their arms in celebration at the end of round 12.

A brutal final round between the pair there.

JEFF POWELL: Tom Cruise could supply a working title for Daniel Dubois as he makes his bid from nowhere to wrest a cluster of world heavyweight titles from Oleksandr Usyk: Mission Improbable.

Leonardo DiCaprio might lend the title of one of his most entertaining movies for Oleksandr The Great to send a warning message to his precocious London challenger: Catch Me If You Can.

Therein lies the essence of tonight’s encounter in a Polish football stadium which will be packed with 40,000 of Usyk’s brother Ukrainians imploring him to deliver another boxing masterclass on this, their embattled country’s Independence weekend.

READ MORE:

Age: 25

Stance: Orthodox

Height: 6ft 5in 

Reach: 78″ 

Record: 19-1

Age: 36

Stance: Southpaw

Height: 6ft 3in 

Reach: 78″

Record: 20-0

Ukraine’s Denys Berinchyk is currently in the ring facing Swedish fighter Anthony Yigit with the WBO International lightweight title on the line.

Berinchyk is seeking to defend his belt and 17-0 record.

Britain’s Aadam Hamed, the son of former world champion Prince Naseem Hamed, will make his professional debut after this.

He will face Vojtech Hrdy.

Then it will be time for the main event.

Allow me to point you in the direction of Jeff Powell’s interview with Oleksandr Uysk.

The Ukrainian opens up about the impact of the ongoing war back home, with thousands having also made the trip to watch the national hero tonight.

Today is Ukraine’s National Independence Day.

READ MORE:

On a humid night of cloying humidity and crawling traffic tens of thousands of Ukrainians waked most of the five miles  from the centre of their adopted Polish city to the stadium

They came to give Dubois as hot and hostile reception as they could muster. Also of course to roar on Usyk their beloved war hero and world champion to another patriotic victory. 

Dubois looked serious and subdued as he walked the corridors to his dressing room, Usyk his amused

Dubois was aware that almost all predictions favoured the undefeated holder of three of the major heavyweight belts. 

But again pronouncing himself ready to silence this lion’s den by  by upsetting the two time conqueror of Anthony Joshua

Apart from his team, his family and his friends he was pretty much on his own here. 

‘No problem,’ he said. ‘I will be in tunnel vision, shutting out the noise.’

But it not easy to be unaffected by a first exposure to such an overwhelming atmosphere.

Hello and welcome to Mail Sport’s live blog as Oleksandr Usyk faces Daniel Dubois in the heavyweight title fight in Wroclaw.

We will have all the build-up and blow by blow action from Poland.