Daniel Dubois’ trainer Don Charles has branded Oleksandr Usyk as a ‘liar’ and a ‘cheat’ – and has dared the Ukrainian boxing star to face his man for a second time.
Dubois solidified his position as IBF world heavyweight champion by knocking out Anthony Joshua inside five rounds in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley last week, and may now push for a rematch to Usyk, who he lost to in August 2023. The fight was shrouded in controversy when in the fifth round, Usyk took a knee and complained that he had been hit with an illegal shot below the belt. The referee agreed and ruled that it was indeed a low blow, and Usyk was allowed a maximum of five minutes to compose himself before going onto win a landslide points decision.
But in an explosive rant on talkSPORT, trainer Charles has tore into the former undisputed heavyweight champion and firmly believes he cheated to get the better of Dubois. “Mr Usyk is fake”, he stated. “Exceptional boxer, masterful boxer, a genius of what he’s done and what he can do. But he’s a fake and he’s a liar and a cheat.”
Asked to provide evidence for his outburst, Charles replied: “It’s well documented. He is a guy who says he’s a God fearing man, he’s always crossing himself. This is going out to Usyk – if you believe in the same God that I and the world population do, what we refer to as God, one of the ten commandments is you cannot cheat. That’s against one of the ten commandments.
“Make your mind up, do you worship God or not? Because if you do, the cheating and the acting he did when Daniel dropped him, he should win an Oscar for that acting.
“Disqualified? I don’t think disqualification was in his mind. The man was gone, he was gone. I know what I saw live. I didn’t need no replays, I know what I saw live.
“The man was able to act and cheat his way back. I’ve said in many, many, many interviews. No [it was not a low blow], hell no.”
The experienced trainer welcomes the prospect of a potential undisputed showdown in a rematch with Usyk. “Yeah, if that presents itself”, he added. “Our focus is not on that. No, it’s not.
“Our focus is not on meeting Oleksandr Usyk. But should that materialise, I dare him, Usyk, to get in the ring with Daniel Dubois.”