Oleksandr Usyk believes Daniel Dubois is 'afraid' ahead of heavyweight rematch

Oleksandr Usyk claims Daniel Dubois is 'afraid' ahead of their highly anticipated undisputed heavyweight rematch this weekend.

The two fighters are set to clash for a second time at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday night. Their initial encounter was marred by controversy, with Usyk ultimately stopping 'Triple D' in the ninth round. However, the Ukrainian was knocked down in the fifth round by a body shot that was later deemed to be below the belt.

Nearly two years on, the pair continue to trade barbs about the incident. Over the years, the Brit has been accused of quitting his fights when taken into deep waters. In an interview with DAZN, Usyk suggested that Dubois has vulnerabilities, stating: "Little bit yes. Little bit because maybe it is a younger guy. Maybe... I do not know. But Daniel is a little bit afraid. I am too, but my afraid is different."

When questioned about his own weaknesses, Usyk replied: "My weakness? I love people. I love my opponents. Only one of my opponents I do not love It's Marco Huck. He is a bad guy because this man said bad words about my mother," reports All Out Fighting.

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"Listen, it is bad, but all my British rivals, they are great people. First, Joe Joyce. For me, the greatest test was Tony Bellew. He is a great man. He gave me opportunity after the fight to go up in the UK." As for his future, the 38-year-old has accomplished a great deal in the sport, leading many to believe he should consider retirement.

The two-time undisputed world champion, with victories over Tony Bellew, Dubois, Anthony Joshua, and Tyson Fury under his belt, is not ready to hang up his gloves just yet. The Ukrainian star explained his drive to continue competing at an elite level: "Because Jesus gives me opportunity. I think my goal now is to become three-time undisputed. Listen, I love boxing. I love training. I love hard training. It is in my life."

On the topic of Dubois, Usyk had nothing but praise for the Brit, stating: "Daniel is a good athlete and a boxer. He has good skills Daniel... last three fights, he had great wins in Filip Hrgovic, Jarrell Miller and Anthony Joshua. I think he is a great fighter."

With just a few days to go until fight night, the pair are in the final stages of preparations for the clash. Usyk will be desperate once again to put to bed any doubt and truly settle the rivalry once and for all. When asked for his official prediction, the Ukrainian replied: "I win... wonderful."

When is Oleksansdr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois?

The highly anticipated rematch between Usyk and Dubois is scheduled for Saturday, July 19, at Wembley Stadium, with live exclusive coverage on DAZN PPV. Fans can catch all the action of Saturday night's fight card on DAZN PPV, available for £24.99 in the UK; $59.99 in the US; $19.99/equivalent in ROW.

The DAZN broadcast is set to kick off at approximately 5:30pm BST (12.30pm ET / 9.30am PT), with the first undercard bout scheduled for around 5.40pm BST ( 12.40pm ET / 9.40am PT). The duo are anticipated to make their ringwalks at 9:45pm BST (4:45pm ET / 1:45pm PT).