Daniel Dubois' team appealing for no-contest in Oleksandr Usyk fight with "stack of evidence", say rematch is the "worst case scenario"

Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk are fresh off a heavyweight championship boxing match that took place this past Saturday. It was the Englishman's first crack at undisputed heavyweight status. Unfortunately, he lost the bout via ninth-round knockout. Dubois, however, has refused to accept the loss, with good reason.

His stance is due to the events of the fifth round, when he landed a right hook that dropped his foe. The blow seemed to land around the belt line. Referee Luis Pabon sparked controversy by declaring the punch a low blow and giving Oleksandr Usyk five minutes to recover.

When the Ukranian phenom was ready to continue fighting before his allotted five minutes, the referee insisted that he commit to the full five minutes. Despite ruling the punch a low blow, Pabon neither penalized nor deducted a point from Daniel Dubois.

This has all led to Frank Warren, Daniel Dubois' promoter, declaring their intention to appeal the loss. As per Michael Benson's tweet, the boxing promoter further claimed to have considerable evidence to have the loss overturned and declared a no-contest.

Though he did mention that if the result isn't overturned, both he and Dubois are prepared to accept a rematch, which he has dubbed a "worst-case scenario". It remains to be seen how Oleksandr Usyk will react if the result of their bout is either overturned or a rematch is forced.

The boxing world itself was divided on its opinion regarding the legality of Dubois' right hook.

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Has Daniel Dubois ever been a champion?

While Daniel Dubois failed to dethrone Oleksandr Usyk as the undisputed heavyweight champion, he is a former champion himself. The Englishman is the former WBA (Regular) heavyweight champion, having captured it from Trevor Bryan via fourth-round knockout back in 2022.

Despite his reputation for devastating knockout power, it still wasn't enough for him to emerge victorious against Oleksandr Usyk. This was the same fate that befell Anthony Joshua, another British power-puncher who found himself unable to overcome the boxing prowess and footwork of Usyk.

However, if a rematch takes place, Dubois will have his chance at redemption.