Oleksandr Usyk has outlined preparations for a forthcoming title defense against Daniel Dubois on Saturday night in Poland.
Ukraine’s unified WBA, WBO, and IBF world champion -who is 20-0 with 13 KOs, puts his heavyweight hardware on the line.
Usyk goes up against Londoner Dubois at Tarczyński Arena Wrocław in Wroclaw, aiming to remain perfect and in pound-for-pound contention.
Revealing how his training camp went, Usyk used his fancy footwork to good avail, along with his love for water.
Oleksandr Usyk outlines preparation
He said: “My preparation is all good. We did a lot of work with swimming. We played football, and We danced.”
10 days 🥊🚀#UsykDubois pic.twitter.com/zGkFCQKK3T
— Alexander Usyk (@usykaa) August 16, 2023
Mentioning the ongoing fight in his country, Usyk added: “I’m grateful to my team, my family, my wife. I’m grateful to my country and Ukrainian soldiers.”
Usyk will make the second defense of his unified crown after moving up to heavyweight in 2019. This step up follows a historic run to the undisputed cruiserweight championship.
Defeating reigning champion Anthony Joshua by unanimous decision in September 2021, he prevailed again in a hotly-disputed split decision last August in their rematch.
His opponent Dubois has won four fights by stoppage since a TKO loss to countryman Joe Joyce in 2020.
At Thursday’s press conference, this is what the fighters had to say:
Usyk vs Dubois
Dubois is a vast 10/1 underdog. However, “DDD” has ensured he’s in the best position to cause a huge upset.
“I’m ready. I’ve suffered through training camp. I’ve done all of that. I’m ready now. I’ve prepared. I’ve left no stone unturned. I’m ready, and I’m confident. I’m ready to go right now,” said the former WBA regular titleholder.
The winner of this weekend’s clash will be on course for massive offers in the coming months. Tyson Fury and the winner of Deontay Wilder vs Anthony Joshua will be calling sometime in 2024.
However, the next fight could be another mandatory one, as there are IBF and WBO stipulations to come. Filip Hrgovic looks to be the next in line for what will be another European battle early next year.
Fury, the WBC ruler, is content to put his WBC title aside while he fights UFC stars with zero chance of putting a dent in his undefeated record.
Usy vs Dubois will be more competitive than Fury vs Ngannou for the fans to enjoy.
Usyk vs Dubois will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ as a special one-fight broadcast starting at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. Ring walks are expected shortly after that.
