Derek Chisora believes the key for IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois to defeating unified three-belt champion Oleksandr Usyk is to be crazier than him in their undisputed championship clash this Saturday, July 19th, in London.
Chisora’s Delusional Plan
Chisora tried that wild man approach to beating Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) in 2020, and it failed. He took a pounding from Usyk and was almost knocked out. Now, Chisora wants Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) to use the same approach, hoping that by using his failed strategy, it’ll be effective. It sounds dumb to me, but what choices does Dubois have?
“You have to be more crazy than him. You have to want it more. You have to go to the other wide where you don’t want to go,” said Derek Chisora to talkSport Boxing about how Daniel Dubois can beat Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday. “If you are doing 50-50, you’re going to get knocked out. You never know what DDD is going to do.”
Chisora doesn’t know what he’s talking about. It’s not surprising he’s talking simple-minded junk about how Dubois needs to be crazier than Usyk, because that’s how he’s already fought. Telling Dubois to fight crazy is a recipe for disaster against Usyk, who will carve him up on Saturday if he fights like a madman.
“Usyk is always using movement. He won’t go back to the ropes. He’ll go left-right, moving sideways. Fitness and you have to be more crazy to get in there,” said Chisora when asked where Usyk gets the ability to fight harder in the later rounds.
Dubois’s Stamina Concerns
The basic problem in this fight is that the 240-lb Dubois is too big, slow, and under-conditioned to match the fitness levels of the trim 225-lb Usyk. All the muscles that Daniel will be carrying around will be like a lead weight, dragging him down the longer the fight goes on.
He’ll be tired, helpless, and at the mercy of Usyk by the ninth round on Saturday. We’ll then see the same thing as last time, with Dubois waving the white flag of surrender while his British fans at ringside boo his weakness.
Hopefully, this is the last time these two fight, because it’s already forlorn as it is. Dubois lacks the mental toughness to win, and it’s pathetic watching him quit repeatedly. Let someone else get a chance.
Usyk’s Late-Round Power
“The championship rounds are the most important rounds in a boxing fight. He picks up in 10, 11, and 12,” said Chisora.
Well, Dubois didn’t even make it to the championship rounds the last time he fought Usyk in 2023. He’d already quit on one knee by the ninth round, choosing to bow out when he started taking fire.
We don’t know how Dubois would react against Usyk in the later rounds. It would be nice if Daniel is still around by the 10th to see if he can out-fight Oleksandr in the final three rounds. I don’t see it happening, though. Usyk will put it on DDD, and once he starts taking the shots, he’ll fold like last time.
Last Updated on 07/14/2025
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