Christopher Walker - The three big questions facing Daniel Dubois ahead of undisputed Oleksandr Usyk clash

Ahead of their blockbuster Wembley encounter tonight, DAZN News' Christopher Walker has profiled the major questions facing Daniel Dubois ahead of his Oleksandr Usyk rematch.

 

Daniel Dubois faces Oleksandr Usyk for a second time this week , live on DAZN PPV , as he looks to become undisputed heavyweight champion. 

The British heavyweight has proved many people wrong in the build-up to this fight, but can he upset the odds again when it matters most? 

Here, Christopher Walker asks three big questions of Dubois as he gets ready for the biggest fight of his life. 

What Daniel Dubois will turn up? 

This is not a question that focuses on the mindset of Daniel Dubois and whether the same fighter who sought a safe exit against Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk still exists.

Dubois, over time, has surely convinced fight fans that he is the finished article now and that he belongs at world level, but his recent performances do not contain a trend that demonstrates what type of fighter he is. Dubois is now primed to be adaptable and display different strategies depending on the opponent. 

Against Filip Hrgovic and Jarrell Miller, both vital contests in the rehabilitation of Dubois following his 2023 loss to Usyk , the Londoner had to weather early storms before asserting dominance in the aforementioned bouts. 

 

Mentally tougher and not wilting under pressure, Dubois’ new ability to fight through fire, developed by an outstanding coaching team featuring Don Charles and Kieran Farrell, allows him to be stronger down the stretch where his own power and superior freshness become big factors. 

Against Anthony Joshua however, the approach was completely different. Facing an opponent who some have criticised for lacking stamina in the second half of fights, Dubois, expected to take the fight into the second half like he had against Hrgovic and Miller, began rapidly and scored a knockdown in the opening round that massively swung the fight in his favour. 

By round five, Joshua had been down a further two times before being knocked out in front of a sold-out Wembley Stadium . This variety to Dubois’ approach shows that he is now a versatile fighter with many ways of winning, and it will be fascinating to see what tactics he uses against Usyk as he looks to become undisputed heavyweight champion.  

Can Dubois cope with being the face of British boxing? 

For as long as he has been a professional, Dubois has had to contend with the gargantuan shadows lurking over him that are Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. 

Both have been unified heavyweight champions, box office draws, and entertaining figures, so while trying to establish your own career amongst successful rivals who are also mainstream stars, winning is not enough. 

For Dubois, the perspective on him has changed in recent years and whilst he may not be a regular on talk shows or pop up on WWE TV or reality series, his preference to let his fists do the talking has been a notable selling point and fight fans know they will usually get action when Dubois turns up. 

Written off by many when defeated by Joyce and Usyk, Dubois’ redemption has won the heart of the boxing community and after headlining Wembley against Joshua, an easy task considering AJ’s incredible stature, doing it against Usyk in his next fight shows that Dubois’ profile is getting bigger. 

If he does get past Usyk, another huge name, Dubois, as the number one fighter in the division, may have to prove that he can sell out stadiums on the back of his own successes, and you would not rule him out doing just that. 

 

If victorious, what comes next for Daniel Dubois? 

If Dubois overcomes the odds against Usyk, then the next few years of his career are set to be huge stadiums and major purses against the next crop of heavyweights emerging, most notably, Moses Itauma. 

Joshua and Fury appear to be on a collision course with each other so may rule them out of the picture for the immediate future, but that does not mean that either man will not target a showdown with Dubois once their own feud is finalised. 

Joseph Parker is another fighter who has unfinished business with Dubois. The bruising pair were scheduled to clash back in February but illness at that last minute forced the current IBF champion to withdraw leaving Parker to face Martin Bakole . 

And then there is Moses Itauma, the supposed heir to the throne. If he gets past Dillian Whyte on August 16 in impressive fashion, then talk of him challenging for a heavyweight title will go through the roof. Dubois vs Itauma, two young heavyweights in their 20s could be the fight to find out who will carry the division into a new era. 

Regardless of Saturday’s result, Dubois has the pedigree and profile to stick around at the business end for the next few years. If he comes out on top against Usyk, then whatever move he makes next will be heavily scrutinised as his standing as the world's best heavyweight brings huge responsibility.

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.  Buy the PPV now here .