The Ghost of Quit Past: Can Daniel Dubois Banish His Demons Against Oleksandr Usyk, or Will History Repeat Itself on July 19th?

The Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois 2 rematch is 13 days away, and there’s a complete lack of hype from fans in this July 19th heavyweight undisputed championship clash at Wembley Stadium.

Will Dubois Quit Again?

Usyk’s decisive victory two years ago over Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) makes it difficult for fans to see a different outcome. Dubois quit in that fight, and he’d done it before in another contest in 2020. Once a quitter, always a quitter, and fans can’t respect that.

Using the low-blow controversy as a promotional tool to create interest in the rematch has been an utter failure. Fans aren’t sympathetic to this argument and aren’t buying into the rhetoric. It’s just a cheap excuse by Dubois and those who follow him to hide from the truth of why he lost.

Usyk-Dubois 2 Undercard Problems

• Lawrence Okolie vs. Kevin Lerena
• Daniel Lapin vs. Lewis Edmondson
• Lasha Guruli vs. James Francis
• Aadam Hamed vs. Ezequiel Gregores
• Vladyslav Sirenko vs. Soloman Dacres

One BIG problem the Usyk-Dubois 2 event has is the undercard. It’s far worse than some of the other events shown on DAZN PPV. The asking price of $59.99 in the US and £24.99 in the UK is too high for what this event offers, which is essentially just the Usyk vs. Dubois 2 main event.

Unnecessary Usyk-Dubois Rematch?

Even that fight is viewed as unnecessary, given Usyk’s dominant performance in his ninth-round knockout of Daniel in 2023. Dubois hasn’t done enough since that loss to create more interest in a second clash against Usyk.

“For this one, I get to not only defeat Usyk but also all my haters. I love doing that. That’s the best feeling in the world,” said Daniel Dubois to Fight Hub TV. “He’s massively different [than Anthony Joshua]. I’m in a real fight. I’ve gone through some mental challenges, but I’m a different fighter now. He’s going to be in a real fight. He’s 38 years old. He’s going to know about it for sure.”

Dubois hasn’t beaten anyone good since his loss to Usyk. His wins have come against a washed Anthony Joshua, Jarrell Miller, and Filip Hrgovic. The best of that bunch was Hrgovic, and he was an unproven fighter with a built-up resume filled with lower-level fighters. He’s been maneuvered by his promoters into the position without being given one decent test.