LONDON (Reuters) -Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk tried to play mind games with Britain’s Daniel Dubois during their weigh-in at Wembley’s BoxPark ahead of their undisputed heavyweight world title fight on Saturday.
Usyk tipped the scales at 16st 3lb, while Dubois came in at 17st 6lb.
After a tense face-off, Usyk stepped to the front of the stage and blocked his 27-year-old rival from everyone’s view. He flexed his muscles while soaking up applause from the cheering crowd.
IBF champion Dubois, aiming to become Britain’s first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999, eventually moved forward.
“I’m locked in, focused and I can’t wait. I’m going to win by any means necessary,” he said to cheers from his fans.
But Usyk cut short Dubois’s speech by moving to the front of the stage again with raised arms, leaving the frustrated Briton to walk off while shaking his head.
“It’s a great opportunity for my people and my country. See you tomorrow,” said 38-year-old Usyk, who holds the WBA (Super), WBC and WBO belts.
The undefeated Ukrainian claimed a ninth-round win over Dubois, who has 22 wins in 24 fights as a professional, when they met in August 2023.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Comments