Daniel Dubois Comes In Light At Weigh In For Usyk vs Dubois Bout
Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois have completed their final preparations before their highly anticipated unified heavyweight world title Usyk vs Dubois fight scheduled for this weekend in Wroclaw, Poland.
Dubois becomes the fourth British fighter to take on Usyk, following in the footsteps of Tony Bellew, Derek Chisora, and Anthony Joshua. Joshua, in two attempts, couldn't overcome Usyk, resulting in his loss of the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles. These are the very belts Usyk is defending in Poland, while Dubois, a 25-year-old with powerful hits, aims to thwart Usyk's bid for a two-time undisputed champion status.
On the weigh-in day before the Usyk vs Dubois, both fighters stepped on the scales, revealing the following weights:
Usyk: 220.9lbs
Dubois: 233.2lbs
The weight difference between the two fighters is just under a stone (around 12 pounds).
Dubois has maintained a weight around 240lbs since 2017. His weight hasn't been as low as it is now since his bout with Mauricio Barragan in July of that year, which was only his fourth professional fight. He has been lighter than this just once in his career of 20 fights, during his previous world-level match against Joe Joyce in 2020, where he weighed a little over 244lbs.
Usyk's weight has gradually increased since he entered the heavyweight division. His weight was 215lbs for his first heavyweight fight against Chazz Witherspoon, then 217lbs against Chisora, and finally 221lbs for both of his fights against Anthony Joshua. Despite moving up in weight, Usyk has managed to maintain his speed and agility, qualities that have perplexed his opponents in his undefeated streak of 19 fights.
Some speculate that Dubois might find it challenging to match Usyk's speed and movement. However, a slightly lighter weight could potentially make it less difficult for him to keep up with Usyk's style.
According to prevailing sentiment, the strategy to surprise Usyk and potentially cause an upset involves aggressively pressuring him and landing hits wherever possible – a tactic often referred to as "big manning" in boxing gyms. Dubois' weight could suggest a greater focus on movement and cardiovascular conditioning in his game plan, as he attempts to navigate the challenge posed by Usyk's skills.
