Bellew, a former boxer turned analyst, didn't hold back in his assessment of Dubois's performance. Speaking on talkSPORT Boxing, Bellew questioned Dubois's motivations for fighting:
"The question needs to be asked, who are you boxing for, why are you doing this? Is it to impress someone? Is it to get on their good side? He ain't fighting for money. He was financially secure a long time ago. When he gets into these really hard moments in a fight, that's when the real Daniel comes out. The real Daniel doesn't want to fight."
Bellew's harsh words stem from what he sees as a pattern in Dubois's career. He pointed out three separate occasions where Dubois seemed to give up when hurt or down, including his first fight with Usyk in August 2023 and a bout against Joe Joyce where he suffered a badly damaged eye.
"I'm sorry to say that. It sounds bad and really harsh, but that's just the truth. I'm a massive fan of him and his sister. But when you've had three separate occasions when you've had moments of recollection and sit there and go, 'I'm hurt, I'm down, I've had enough'."
Bellew contrasted Dubois's recent performance with his fight against Anthony Joshua. In that match, Dubois continued fighting despite taking heavy hits, which Bellew attributes to high confidence from being on top in that fight.
"He gets hit harder in the AJ fight, he goes in for the finish, AJ hits him with a shot that rocks him to his boots, but cause he was on top in that fight and his confidence is high, he rolls the dice and he throws back and AJ and he knocks him out."
The former cruiserweight champion concluded that Dubois's performance against Usyk revealed a fundamental issue with his mentality:
"On Saturday night, he had zero success. In my opinion, this is the attitude and mentality of a guy that when the going gets tough, he doesn't want to fight, and you can never change that."
Despite the harsh criticism, Dubois has vowed to rebuild his career, and many believe he will. As for Usyk, he's likely to face a mandatory defense next, possibly against WBO ruler Joseph Parker.
Dubois has faced accusations of quitting before, but it remains to be seen how he'll respond to this latest setback and criticism. The boxing world will be watching closely to see if he can prove his critics wrong and bounce back from this defeat.