Rovensky: "I think that Dubois' blow was just in the line of the stomach"

Daniel Dubois - Oleksandr Usyk
Daniel Dubois - Oleksandr Usyk

Ukrainian judge Konstantin Rovensky shared his thoughts on the scandalous episode in which Daniel Dubois inflicted Oleksandr Usyk Hit below the belt.

In the fifth round, Dubois hit Usyk with a low blow and the judge gave the Ukrainian time to recover. In the ninth round, the Ukrainian stopped the Briton by technical knockout.

- In another situation, I would refrain from commenting. But so far everything is very clear to me, and my answer is clearly dictated by the judicial code.

The referee was closer to the episode, standing facing him. Responded immediately without hesitation. And his decision is the only right one.

I would not doubt his qualifications, because inexperienced specialists are not put on such fights. The other side is precisely the reaction and behavior of Alexander. We can draw a parallel with the Lomachenko-Salido fight. When I beat him and beat him, but he endured. Alexander testified that it was a painful blow. I believe that it was a blow just to the stomach line.

- That is, it was an unequivocal episode for the interpretation of the judge? Or is it still slippery?

“Even after watching the video a hundred times from different angles, we won’t be able to understand whether it’s a centimeter higher or a centimeter lower. This is not about the navel, but about the line connecting the protruding edges of the pelvic bones.

Now it is impossible [to find out] whether there was a blow above or below this line. But in the totality of the facts, I conclude that the decision is correct. And the decision of the referee must be respected, because he is responsible for the health of the athletes. This is the main task of the judge - to keep the health of the participants, following the rules, - said Rovensky.

Tribuna