Welcome back to the Soul of Sport. For our latest episode of the series, KEVIN QUIGLEY travelled to Poland to watch Oleksandr Usyk’s world heavyweight title defence against Daniel Dubois.
Dubois was up against it as he fought in front of a crowd who were heavily in favour of the defending champion.
The British heavyweight caught Usyk with a controversial shot in the fifth round – with debate over whether he delivered a ‘low blow’ to the winded Ukrainian.
Usyk bounced back though and would go on to secure a stoppage victory in the ninth round in front of a jubilant crowd at the Stadion Wroclaw.
Our man captured the best moments using a Nikon Z9 camera used with 24-70mm lens, 70-200MM Lens and 400mm lens.
Oleksandr Usyk has become a hero of Ukraine at a time when the country is feeling the effects of the Russia invasion
Usyk came up against British heavyweight Daniel Dubois – who had lost just one of 20 fights going into the clash on Saturday
Usyk and Dubois served up a thrilling – yet controversial – heavyweight title fight at the Stadion Wroclaw in Poland
It appeared that everyone in attendance was rooting for Usyk, with Ukrainian flags dotted all across the stadium
The fight took place on week of Ukraine’s Independence Day and Usyk had gloves designed fitting for the state holiday
Usyk’s fans show what they think of Tyson Fury as the pair struggle to come to terms over a dream heavyweight showdown
‘Dynamite’ Daniel Dubois though was ready to fight Usyk with dreams of becoming the heavyweight champion of the world
The big talking point of the fight came in the fifth round when Dubois caught Usyk with a debatable ‘low blow’ – winding the Ukrainian fighter who had nearly four minutes to recover from the blow before the pair went on to resume the fight
Usyk’s team were adamant that he was hit with a ‘low blow’ though some felt Dubois was unlucky not to be crowned champion
Daniel Dubois was stopped in the ninth round though he felt as though he had been ‘cheated’ out of the heavyweight title
Britain’s Aadam Hamed, the son of Prince Naseem Hamed, was victorious on his professional debut during the undercard
Jake Paul was in what he described as his ‘homeland’ Poland to watch the action after previously spending time with Usyk
Fans rushed into the arena early in anticipation of wanting to see their hero Usyk pick up his 21st victory without defeat
The big fight always comes with a huge media circus during the build-up – including the traditional pre-bout weigh-in event
The prize on the line, the WBO belt championship which Dubois hoped to take off Usyk – who won it off Anthony Joshua
The magician from Kyiv turned on the supercharger at the end of the ninth and Usyk caught Dubois with a vicious blow
A defiant fan sends a message to Russian president Vladimir Putin, 18 months on since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine