Dubois’ promoter lodges appeal over Usyk fight
Promoter Frank Warren has officially appealed to the WBA for Daniel Dubois’ loss to Oleksandr Usyk to be ruled a no contest and that a rematch be ordered.
Briton Dubois, 26, floored heavyweight champion Usyk in the fifth round in Poland on 26 August, but the punch was declared a low blow by the referee.
Ukrainian Usyk, 36, then stopped Dubois in the ninth round to retain his unified heavyweight titles.
Warren confirmed to BBC Sport the appeal was lodged on Tuesday.
The WBA acknowledged the appeal in a statement posted on Wednesday, adding: “Any decision made regarding this situation will be made under WBA rules and communicated in a timely and appropriate manner.”
If the decision is not overturned, the promoter hopes the sanctioning body could still order an immediate rematch.
Two-weight world champion Usyk was given almost four minutes’ recovery time by Puerto Rican official Luis Pabon as a replay on the three big screens inside Wroclaw’s open-air stadium appeared to show Dubois’ hook landing on Usyk’s beltline.
Dubois tired as Usyk dropped the challenger in the eighth and again in the ninth before Pabon halted the contest.
Immediately after the fight, Dubois – who was the WBA mandatory challenger – felt he was “cheated” out of victory.
The Londoner did not attend the post-fight news conference as Queensbury Promotions’ Warren and trainer Don Charles criticised the decision, before Usyk and his team insisted the low-blow ruling was the correct call.
The punch also split opinion in the boxing world. Former world champion Carl Frampton, speaking on TV commentary, said the punch was legal while several boxers, including Usyk’s former opponent Tony Bellew, felt it was a low blow.
If a rematch is not ordered, Usyk may face Croatia’s IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic, while an undisputed fight with Britain’s WBC champion Tyson Fury is also being mooted for early next year.