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Nearly two years after their first bout, Oleksandr Usyk has successfully defended his heavyweight title with a knockout of Daniel Dubois with 1:52 remaining in the fifth round of their title fight at Wembley Stadium.
Usyk dominated most of the bout and landed multiple heavy blows on Dubois in the fifth round, knocking down the London native twice — and Dubois stayed down the second time to finish a masterful performance for the 38-year-old Ukrainian superstar.
Here are the rest of today's results:
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That combination was diabolical. All fight, Dubois had been wildly firing but with little conviction behind his strikes. Usyk was just timing him up and waiting for his moment to pounce. That first knockdown after the flurry in the corner provided that opportunity and like the all-time great he is, he capitalized.
Those belts are not going anywhere…
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IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, THIS ONE IS OVER!!!
Oleksandr Usyk knocks down Daniel Dubois. He gets up in plenty of time but not for long.
Usyk unloads a violent, powerful combination that sends his opponent to the canvas. That left hand is lethal…
There is a clear difference in the poise of Usyk compared to Dubois. The Brit can get sped up or baited in certain situations but it's rare that Usyk makes those same mistakes.
For a guy with the power Dubois possesses, he has not really been able to phase the Ukrainian yet. Ironically, Dubois landed a similar punch to the one that was ruled a low blow in the last fight but Usyk didn't really flinch.
We head to the fifth now.
Good right hand from Dubois early in the third round. There have been a few moments in this fight when he's had Usyk on his back foot but the champ tends to respond well.
The two fighters get in close and start firing on one another but it seems Usyk landed the more significant shot. Before that brief melee, I would have thought Dubois was winning the round but that flurry could have shifted things. That left hand caught him in the temple but he absorbed it rather well.
Whether he won it or not, that was Dubois' best round so far.
Dubois continues to be aggressive but it feels like it's bordering on reckless at points, especially with how calculated Usyk is. That said, the British national is moving well and he always carries lethal power that could change a fight in an instant.
He throws a flurry but Usyk is unamused, catching him with a left hand. It does not seem to impact Dubois much but that was still a good shot from the Ukrainian.
A bit of a slow start in the first minute as you might expect. Dubois has been more of the aggressor while Usyk seems comfortable playing the long game for now. That quickly changes, with Usyk landing a powerful jab that firmly catches the chin of Dubois. He ends the round with a flurry as well, which the Wembley crowd enjoyed.
The crowd is providing quite the soundscape as these two heavyweights walk each other down.
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HERE WE GO!
Usyk vs Dubois 2 is underway at Wembley…
The only British flag I've seen tonight is now inside the ring, having been carried there by one of Dubois' entourage on his ringwalk. Those were some ringwalks by the way. Fire dancers, fireworks – bravo Queensberry, that had the lot. And now, let's get ready to ruuuuumble!
Now it's Oleksandr Usyk turn. Immediately he is met with loud chants of "US-YK, US-YK," accompanied by ominous music. There's also a massive contingent at Wembley here to support him.
What's going through Daniel Dubois' mind as he waits for his opponent?
Electric entrance for Daniel Dubois. Quality tunes, fireworks above Wembley and a big pop from the crowd.
He's looking to make a statement in his hometown with the world watching.
Before both fighters' ring walks, the Ukranian and British national anthem are performed.
Based on the amount of singing heard during the Ukranian rendition, Usyk will be supported well tonight.
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It might be a bit of home cooking (pun intended) but Gordon Ramsay is picking his countryman Daniel Dubois to defeat Oleksandr Usyk tonight at Wembley.
Watch his explanation below.
There can't be many atmospheres like this. Near 90,000 people busting out Sweet Caroline and hyping themselves up for a huge heavyweight fight. It's pretty special, Wembley.
Daniel Dubois is getting loose backstage.
Is this his moment? Are we looking at the next heavyweight champion of the world?
A unanimous victory for Okolie who continues his campaign at heavyweight, but that performance won't have improved his viewer ratings by much. Lerena played his part in a pretty pedestrian showing too, mind. Anyway, main event is next, the tunes are pumping out here and the drinks are very much flowing.
One aspect that might have been overlooked in recent days is the weight difference between these two fighters.
Oleksandr Usyk is fighting at the heaviest weight of his career and Daniel Dubois is up 10 pounds from his weight when these two first squared off in 2023.
Both fighters have a 78″ reach with Usyk standing at 6' 3" and Dubois at 6' 5".
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A better round for Lerena who lands a couple of strong left hands on Okolie, who takes them well. This was originally scheduled to be a 12 round fight but has been reduced to 10, perhaps with the Wembley curfew in mind. I don't think anyone here will be complaining.
Lerena is making life pretty simple for Okolie, standing in front of him with little head movement and allowing the Brit to control the pace and distance of this fight for all eight rounds so far.
Okolie weighed in a career-heaviest 262.4lbs for this and it looks like it. His breathing looks heavy and his feet slow. But Lerena isn't really doing enough to take rounds away from the Brit, and Okolie landed some decent right hands in round 6.
