Give him some brains – Oleksandr Usyk questions Daniel Dubois’ pre-fight antics

Oleksandr Usyk has questioned Daniel Dubois’ “brains” in the build-up to Saturday’s undisputed world heavyweight bout at Wembley.

Dubois cut a more relaxed figure during a drama-free open workout on Wednesday and Thursday’s press conference, but previously the 27-year-old from London and his team had seemed eager to get under the skin of the WBA, WBO and WBC champion.

The first flashpoint occurred at Wembley in April when Dubois pushed Usyk in the chest before a day later Don Charles, the British boxer’s trainer, claimed the undefeated Ukrainian deserved an “Oscar” for his antics during their first fight in Poland in 2023.

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Usyk required nearly four minutes to recover from a punch from Dubois which was deemed an illegal low blow.

Talk of the contentious incident has dissipated during fight week, but only after Dubois’ emotions threatened to boil over on Tuesday.

The Briton screamed his own name and “the new” in the face of an ice-cool Usyk outside Wembley.

Speaking afterwards about the incident, Usyk said: “I hate stupidity.

“I’m a faithful person. I see only the best in people, but sometimes people show their bad side and even when they’re showing their bad side, I would never judge them.

“I wouldn’t say anything bad about them or say, ‘I do not respect you for that’. In moments like this, I just think, ‘Please God, give him (Daniel) some brains, some understanding and just willpower to get better (from) where he is now’.

“I respect every boxer, every sportsman that is going to the ring, going to the ring meaning to be a fighter.

“Every opponent that I see in the ring is the fighter that came there to make himself better, to become better.”

It was only 23 months ago