Daniel Dubois is one of the hardest-hitting heavyweights in boxing. Oleksandr Usyk is one of the most elusive.
Therein lies the key storyline for a rematch between Daniel Dubois and Usyk on Saturday, July 19, with the undisputed heavyweight title at stake.
They met last in 2023, when Usyk won by ninth-round knockout despite taking a low blow from Dubois that dropped him to the canvas in the fifth round.
Plenty has happened since.
Last year, for example, the 27-year-old Dubois knocked down Anthony Joshua four times on his way to a fifth-round TKO victory.
Also last year, the 38-year-old Usyk kept his 23-0 record spotless with a victory over Tyson Fury by unanimous decision.
USA TODAY Sports has all you need for the Dubois-Usyk card, including time, predictions and odds. So check back for more updates:
Round 1: Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois, fighting for the undisputed heavyweight championship, and here they come. Dubois out quick with the jab and Usyk counters with his own. Dubois lands a right but Usyk not backing away. Instead he fires his jab. Usyk bouncing on his feet behind the jab. Dubois fires two jabs and advances, then fires a right to the body. Dubois moves in and connects to the body. Usyk responds with a jab and lands a big left hook. Dubois 10, Usyk 9.
Round 2: Usyk out quick behind the jab, but Dubois is stalking now. Usyk making it difficult for Dubois to unload his power punches by staying on the move. Dubois lands a hard right. Usyk felt definitely that. Dubois uncorks some hard rights, but off the mark. Usyk lands two hard lefts at the end of the second round. Dubois 19, Usyk 19.
Usyk has received pre-fight cheers even through he’s Ukrainian and is fighting Britain’s Daniel Dubois.
DraftKings: Usyk -300, Dubois +235
FanDuel: Usyk -430, Dubois +300
Okolie, angling for a shot against the top heavyweights, turned in an unmemorable performance against Lerena in a 12-round bout.
The judges scored it 99-91, 100-90, 100-90 in favor of Okolie, the 32-year-old Brit. But he scored no knockdowns and never staggered Lerena, the 33-year-old from South Africa who was at a considerable size disadvantage.
Okolie improved to 22-1 while Lorena fell to 31-4.
In an interview with DAZN, Paul said he’s at Wembley Stadium because it’s where he’ll fight British hero Anthony Joshua, the former heavyweight champion.
“It’s not even about if it’s realistic or not,’’ Paul said of the prospective bout. “It’s going to happen. So fasten your seatbelts or whatever. And when I knock him out, I go down in the history books forever.’’
Paul did not provide a date for the matchup between Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) and Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs). But Paul did say, “We’re going to do the unthinkable and create one of the biggest fights in the history of boxing and that’s what this is all about, I’m here.”
In a battle of unbeatens, Lapin survived Edmondson’s aggressive style in a 10-round light heavyweight bout.
Lapin, a 6-6 Ukrainian, towered over Edmondson, a 6-1 Brit. But the Brit often bulled his way inside and roughed up the Ukrainian.
In the eighth round, Edmondson pushed Lapin against the ropes and both times Lapin looked like he might flip over. But it was hard to determine if it was the result of Edmondson’s force or Lapin’s frustration.Â
Regardless, Lapin, 28 responded well in the final two rounds and his late display likely propelled him past Edmondson, 29.
The judges scored it 95-95, 96-94, 96-94 in favor of Lapin.
Jaul Paul arrived at Wembley Stadium with his fiancée Jutta Leerdam and when he was shown on the video boards, there were boos from the crowd. Paul’s only loss as a pro boxer came against Britain’s Tommy Fury, the brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.Â
Dacres, coming off a demoralizing first-round TKO loss, outclassed previously undefeated Sirenko in a 10-round heavyweight bout.
Throughout the fight, Dacres tattooed Sirenko (22-1). With 19 knockouts in his first 22 fights, Sirenko kept trudging forward — ominously.
Dacres, the 31-year-old Brit, did a masterful job dodging most of Sirenko’s punches. But in the eighth round, Sirenko, the 30-year-old Ukrainian, landed a left that knocked out Dacres mouthpiece.
Dacres (10-1) responded by continuing to fire punches and finish the fight strong.
The judges scored it 99-91, 98-92, 99-92.
Usyk exited a vehicle outside Wembley Stadium with a stuffed animal — the Disney donkey Eeyore.
“It’s my daughter’s,’’ Usyk has explained. “She gave it to me to be my talisman. We bought it when we were all together in Disneyland Paris.
“When we left Ukraine together but our roads separated in Europe, my daughter gave this toy to me and said, ‘This needs to be right next to you.’ “
Hamed, the son of Hall of Fame boxer Naseem Hamed (a.k.a. Prince Naseem), improved to 6-0 with a convincing victory over Gregores in the four-round welterweight bout.
With his father watching, the 25-year-old Hamed looked solid two years into his pro boxing career. He made good use of both hands and looked good defensively.
Of course, you have to consider the competition. Gregores, a 31-year-old from Argentina, entered the bout with a record of 3-24.
That made it difficult to assess Hamed’s skill level, but it’s fair to say he has much more to prove in the ring to come close to resembling his father, who won multiple world titles as a featherweight.
Guruli, an Olympic bronze medalist at the 2024 Paris Games, dominated Francis in the super lightweight fight.
In only his second pro fight, Guruli (2-0) pulverized Francis (7-2) with an assortment of punches that included a punishing right uppercut and straight right.
He bloodied Francis’ nose in the second round and it continued to bleed throughout the fight.Â
The 5-foot-10 Guruli, a 28-year-old from the country of Georgia, smothered the 5-foot-5½ Francis, a 24-year-old from Britain. Eventually, Francis looked focused only on evading punches rather than throwing any.
His corner called for the fight to be halted after four rounds and the referee did so two seconds into the fifth round.
How to watch Usyk vs Dubois 2
Oleksandr Usyk will face Daniel Dubois on Saturday, July 19, and the event will be streamed on DAZN Pay-Per-View. In the U.S., fans can purchase the event for $59.99.
- Date: Saturday, July 19
- Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
- Usyk vs Dubois main event ring walks: 4:45 p.m. ET (estimated)
- Stream: DAZN PPV
Watch Usyk vs Dubois with DAZN PPV
Fight card according to DAZN and odds according to BetMGM on Saturday:
- Oleksandr Usyk (-300) vs. Daniel Dubois (+250): Undisputed heavyweight title
- Lawrence Okolie (-250) vs. Kevin Lerena (+200): Heavyweights
- Daniel Lapin (-450) vs. Lewis Edmondson (+350): Light heavyweights
- Vladyslav Sirenko (-600) vs Solomon Dacres (+450): Junior welterweights
- Aadam Hamed (-10000) vs. Ezequiel Gregores (+1400): Heavyweights (odds as of Thursday)
- Lasha Guruli (-1200) vs. James Francis (+700): Junior welterweights
Usyk vs Dubois 2 predictions
USA Today: Usyk by TKO in 11th round
Josh Peter writes: “Almost two years have passed since Oleksandr Usyk beat Daniel Dubois in their first bout by ninth-round KO. Dubois has incredible power and showed as much when knocking down Anthony Joshua four times on his way to a fifth-round TKO victory last year. Yet in the final seconds of that fight, Dubois left himself open and took a hard shot that could have swung the fight. Dubois won’t be able to make the same mistakes against Usyk, whose technical soundness and elusive defense are superior.”
Bleacher Report: Usyk by TKO, Round 10
Lyle Fitzsimmons writes: “If you believe a KO of Joshua—whom Usyk has twice dismantled—warrants such a spike in relevance, so be it. But unless the splendid Ukrainian champion turns into a punched-out 38-year-old overnight, it’s another tactical mismatch. Expect several one-sided, clinical rounds on the way, with many so-called experts lamenting that they should have seen it coming.”
CBS Sports: Usyk via decision
Brent Brookhouse writes: “I think it’s more likely the fight goes the full 12 rounds. Both fighters know how dangerous the other is, and though Usyk finished Dubois in the first fight, Dubois has a booming level of confidence coming off of his thrashing of Anthony Joshua. Usyk only has two stoppages at heavyweight (Dubois and Chazz Witherspoon) and I don’t see a repeat of the first fight here. Dubois is the better boxer and those skills should be enough for him to come out on top on the scorecards, though either man getting a stoppage is in play.”
BetMGM: Usyk to secure repeat win
Staff writes: “I predict that Usyk will secure a repeat win over Dubois via TKO/KO stoppage, as his fighting style fits well with Dubois. His complete package of power, speed, timing, footwork, and fight IQ is the reason why he’s currently at the top of the heavyweight division and is the key to this second meeting with Dubois. Dubois undoubtedly has the one-punch knockout power that can put any contender and champion in the heavyweight division to sleep. However, the major problem is whether he can land it cleanly against Usyk, as Usyk also has an impeccable defense.”
