Daniel Dubois defends decision to host a pre-fight party before Oleksandr Usyk KO defeat
Daniel Dubois has defended the decision to host a pre-fight party before his knockout defeat to Oleksandr Usyk
Daniel Dubois' (22-3, 21 KOs) big moment at Wembley Stadium on July 19 was thwarted by that pesky Ukrainian who just can't stop breaking British boxers' hearts.
Oleksandr Usyk not only stopped the Londoner in five rounds - four rounds quicker than before in 2023 - he dropped him twice and used him as a punchbag, pinging southpaw backhand lefts off his head from the opening bell, and finishing him within seconds of finding vulnerability - live on DAZN.
After the dust had settled, a new storm kicked up when footage surfaced online of young 27-year-old Dubois partying at his house with dozens of his friends just hours before the fight.
Then there was an altercation at the national football team venue when Dubois' dad threatened to pull his son from the fight if his unticketed entourage were not allowed into the stadium.
Just days after, trainer Kieran Farrell abruptly left the team, causing further disarray.
Despite all this, former IBF world champion Dubois defended all of his behaviour in the build-up to the biggest fight of his career.
"No, it worked," 'Dynamite' began. "The first time with AJ and things like that. But I don't even want to talk about that too much. That's not why anything went wrong in the fight. I look at myself and look at what I could have done better.
"But, yeah, it [the pre-fight party] worked the first time with AJ. It's a whole new beginning for me, moving forward. Now, I have to change and get it right.
"I came up against one of the best boxers in the world, and a southpaw in that. Yes, I could have done better, but this is how it goes sometimes. I don't feel deflated or defeated in myself; I just need to learn about myself and improve myself."
