Daniel Dubois faces fresh criticism for his performance in the recent heavyweight title fight against Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley. Critics say he quit when the going got tough.
The accusations aren't new for Dubois. Back in November 2020, he took a knee and got counted out due to eye damage in his bout with Joe Joyce. That decision sparked a debate about his toughness.
In his first clash with Usyk, a stiff jab in the ninth round put Dubois down. Many thought his spirit broke rather than his body.
This time around, Dubois never found his rhythm against the champion. Usyk's sharp punches and fluid footwork kept him off balance. In the fifth round, Dubois hit the canvas twice. On the second knockdown, he failed to beat the count. The controversy stems from Dubois getting up and walking back to his corner on steady feet after the referee finished counting.
Derek Chisora didn't mince words about Dubois's performance:
"He quit. He quit again. Yeah, man, he quit. I don't understand. They were supposed to train different. They did not. It was set for him to win it."
Promoter Frank Warren didn't take kindly to Chisora's comments. He offered the veteran heavyweight a chance to back up his words in the ring:
"Derek said Daniel is a quitter. I didn't like the way he kept on saying it. The vibe I got back when I spoke to Don [Charles, Dubois's coach] yesterday was, well, if he thinks he's a quitter, he can fight him. Fight him, it's a great fight isn't it? What a good fight it would be between the two them."
Dubois has bounced back before. After his loss to Joyce, he took 10 months off and came back with three knockout wins. He'll need to show that same resilience now to climb back to the top of the heavyweight division.
