Don't look back in anger: Can Daniel Dubois park Poland purgatory to deliver Oleksandr Usyk retribution?

Two years ago, Daniel Dubois had the red mist in his eyes. Oleksandr Usyk was on the canvas before him, dropped in the fifth round to swing momentum in the Briton's favour.

But referee Luis Pabon saw it differently, as did the Ukrainian's vociferous legion of supporters packed into Poland's Stadion Wrocław, there to watch their hero prevail once more.

The official declared the hit as a low blow, beneath the waist and an illegal shot. Usyk was given roughly four minutes to recover, as Dubois and his team fumed at the decision.

The spectre of that moment has hung over this rematch ever since it was announced, a flashpoint that arguably lives deeper in memory than the ninth-round knockout that ended it.

In the intervening period, Usyk and Dubois have fought a combined five bouts, three world title fights and one undisputed battle, between the former and Tyson Fury in May 2024.

Each of those has come freighted with the weight of history and expectation for both men and their opponents, foes ranging from bona-fide champions to would-be contenders.

Yet none of them have arguably carried the pre-fight ghosts of old wounds quite like this affair, threaded into the tapestry of a heavyweight division sat on the cusp of a sea change.

Back then, speaking to the BBC after just a second career loss, Dubois was unequivocal in his desire to see action against what he perceived as a serious miscarriage of justice.

"This needs to go further, it needs to be pushed," he said. "I should be a world champion right now. It needs to be called out, go further than living this lie. They cheated out there.”

In a press conference earlier this year, the star's trainer Don Charles suggested that Usyk "deserved an Oscar" for his performance, and that he had "conned" the officials.

When such controversy unfolds, they tend to cast long shadows. But Dubois and his team will need to ensure they can park the emotion if they are to prevail this weekend.

This time next weekend, the rock band Oasis will be stood where the Briton is, playing the second night of a residency at Wembley Stadium as part of their comeback reunion tour.

The Manchester group, led by Liam and Noel Gallagher, are one of the defining touchstones of the past half-century to emerge from these shores, a behemoth of popular culture.

Both men in their heyday were infamous for their squabbles, a series of brotherly spats that played out on tabloid front pages and on stage between them for a decade-and-a-half.

Their original dissolution in 2009, after a reported altercation backstage at a festival in Paris, came as emotions between the pair definitively boiled over, leading to a sudden split.

It was the last place any band would want to fold their hand - moments before stepping out to face the bright lights, unable to handle the moment of history between themselves.

Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

Dubois would do well to heed lessons from this incident, indeed heed the title of perhaps their most enduring hit  Don't Look Back in Anger , and ensure he keeps a lid on his fury.

Despite three wins since that have taken his reputation to new heights - particularly the way he dismantled Anthony Joshua - this was always going to dredge up old memories.

Usyk repeated his old trick and had his foe sign a photograph from their first fight, part of his own psychological mind games to tip the scales further in his favour for the rematch.

That gamesmanship is something that has not always come naturally to Dubois, a fighter marked less by his flamboyance outside the ring and more by his moves within it instead.

The last thing he can afford to do is like the purgatory of his Polish nightmare come back to haunt him. He is a smarter boxer, a sharper performer, with new tricks up his sleeve.

Expectations that another two years of age - and two-dozen rounds with Fury - for Usyk could slow the star are likely to be wide of the mark. He remains a phenomenal talent.

Yet Dubois feels he has pinpointed the weaknesses, will surely take it to the body once again and hope that on this occasion he can connect with more than the occasional blow.

Win here, and he unites all four major heavyweight belts, succeeds his rival as the latest undisputed world champion in boxing's glamour division, takes his place in the pantheon.

But most tellingly here, victory means Daniel Dubois becomes the kind of superstar that can rival Oasis too, a boxing Britpop hero. All he has to do is roll with it and keep his eyes on the prize.

Usyk vs Dubois 2 only on DAZN

Watch Usyk versus Dubois 2 live and exclusive on DAZN PPV this Saturday - July 19 - for £24.99 UK; $59.99 US; $19.99/equivalent ROW. 

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