Alexandra Usika amused by the fact that one of the coaches Daniel Dubois was none other than James Ali Bashir, who coached him for about three years as a pro. Many media outlets claimed that Bashir would expose Usyk's weaknesses, which Dubois could then exploit. As a result, the fact that Bashir was able to pass Dubois was not enough, and Usyk stopped the Briton in the ninth round, retaining his WBO, WBA and IBF titles.
After the fight, Usyk said that he had no doubt that Bashir's help for Dubois was overestimated. The Ukrainian added that, despite several years of training under Bashir, the former protégé of the legendary Emmanuel Steward never recognized him as a person.
"James Ali Bashir is a wonderful person," Usyk said in an interview with SecondsOut. - He is a famous person. He is a good man. But he couldn't teach Dubois any secrets because he doesn't know any of them about me. Although we worked together for a long time, he was unable to teach me anything personally."
“He did not know me personally. That's why he couldn't tell the opponent's corner any secrets I have because he just didn't know them. I will tell you a person who really knows me, who knows me for who I am. I won't even say it's my mom. This is my wife. She knows what I really am," Usyk added.
