Exclusive: Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois to follow little-known rule ahead of undisputed heavyweight title fight
Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois could be set to follow a little-known boxing rule ahead of their heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Usyk, 38, who currently holds the WBA (Super), WBO, WBC and Ring Magazine belts, will put his championships on the line against IBF champion and Britain’s Dubois in what promises to be a mouthwatering clash of styles in front of a packed Wembley Stadium.
The Londoner will have to overcome any lasting mental demons from the pair’s first clash, in which he sustained a knockout loss in round nine of the contest.
However, this time could be very different.
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Two years ago, a then 25-year-old Dubois walked into a hostile atmosphere in favour of Usyk in Wroclaw, Poland, but on Saturday, he will walk out in his home city of London and will, no doubt, have the bulk of the support on his side.
And despite arguably having most of the advantages on his side, beating Usyk, who boasts an unblemished record with a combined four wins over Dubois’ fellow Brits Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, will be a tough task.
On Thursday, the pair took part in a press conference, and the classy Ukrainian played down fears that his age could be a deciding factor in the fight.
"I respect this young guy," Usyk said.
"He [Dubois] is motivated but I am too. I am not an old guy - 38 is not old. We will see."
"Right now, I just want to get it on," Dubois added.
"I'm going to write my own script. They've got their script, and I'll write my own. I'm going to win these belts and I'm going to be the man."
All will be revealed on Saturday night in front of hundreds of thousands of fans watching around the world.
But a lot of preparation is still ahead of the fighters before then, with former super-middleweight world champion Carl Froch, who spoke to SPORTbible on behalf of Casino.co.uk, revealing a little-known rule that the pair may have to follow before entering the ring.
Froch said: "When you tape your hands up, you can't have the tape around your knuckle on fight night.
"I always put them over my knuckles when training, but on fight night, it goes just above your knuckle. It’s just one of the rules on fight night.
"Another thing is when the referees talk to you before the fight. They usually talk to both fighters, the usual stuff, tell you to break off when they ask.
"Some referees, though, say that if you're getting caught and hit with shots, they might talk to you and ask for you to give something back.
"They'll even say, if you don't listen to me, or give back, when I ask, they'll stop the fight.”
How to watch the fight on DAZN
The big fight will be live streamed exclusively on DAZN, where PPV costs £24.99. Here's how to watch DAZN on the telly to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the action:
- Smart TV app: Download the DAZN app from your TV’s app store, then sign in to start watching.
- Streaming devices: You can use Apple TV, Roku, Google Chromecast or Amazon Fire Stick to stream the fight. Simply install the DAZN app, log in, and start streaming.
- Gaming consoles: You can access the DAZN app on an Xbox or Playstation too. All you need to do is log into your account and start watching.
- Casting: You can also use Chromecast or Apple AirPlay to cast DAZN from your smartphone or tablet to your TV.
Topics: Boxing, Oleksandr Usyk, Wembley Stadium, Carl Froch
Luke Davies