Lennox Lewis is backing one man to be the first to beat Oleksandr Usyk.
Ukrainian southpaw Usyk is a man no one has yet been able to beat in the professional ring. He turned over after winning gold in the London 2012 Olympics, and by 2018, he had cleaned out the cruiserweight division to become undisputed.
Usyk moved up flawlessly to heavyweight with an early points win over Derek Chisora, setting him up for back-to-back victories over Anthony Joshua in 2021 and 2022, and then he did the same against Tyson Fury in May 2024 to become undisputed heavyweight, before a rematch in December sent Fury into retirement.
In the meantime, he also knocked out Daniel Dubois in August 2023, but since then ‘DDD’ has put together three impressive KLO wins over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Joshua.
He puts his IBF belt on the line against Usyk on July 19 at Wembley Stadium and, speaking to Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, former undisputed heavyweight champion Lewis laid out why he thinks it’s Dubois’s time to shine.
“I’m thinking he’s ready. He’s been through the trials and tribulations. He’s the king slayer. He’s got the power. He’s been there before. He was just there, he knocked [Usyk] down, so he knows what he needs to do.
“It would be great for him to do it, another man from Great Britain. It’s not an easy task, but he’s definitely the man that can go through with it. He’s done the work. He’s gone through the pedigree. He’s a certified world champion and I think he has big hopes on doing it. He’s going to do it.”
