Notebook: Usyk not in Ukraine fighting Dubois, but close enough

Helenius fails drug test; Canelo-Charlo PPV undercard official; BetUS show; Quick hits; Show and tell

A note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: I created Fight Freaks Unite in January 2021 and eight months later it also became available for paid subscriptions for additional content — and as a way to help keep this newsletter going and for readers to support independent journalism. If you haven’t upgraded to a paid subscription please consider it. If you have already, I truly appreciate it! Also, consider a gift subscription for the Fight Freak in your life.

Unified heavyweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk would have preferred to face lineal/WBC champion Tyson Fury for the undisputed crown, but those negotiations for an April fight cratered over the terms of a rematch clause.

Fury, unencumbered by a mandatory obligation, moved on to a circus fight with MMA star Francis Ngannou, who is crossing over to box Fury for a big-money fight on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

When the Fury-Usyk talks fell apart, Usyk was ordered to make his due mandatory defense against WBA “regular” titlist Daniel Dubois in the fight that will take place on Saturday (ESPN+ in U.S., TNT Sports Box Office in U.K., main event at approximately 5 p.m. ET) at Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland.

At the weigh-in on Friday, Usyk was 220.9 pounds and Dubois 233.2, the lightest he has been since he was 232 for his fourth professional bout in 2017.

Usyk is a significant favorite to retain the WBO, IBF and WBA titles against Dubois but he had no choice but to face him or he would be stripped by the WBA, which would have put a big dent in his dream to eventually become the undisputed champion, as he did in the cruiserweight division by unifying the four major belts in 2018.

“I treat Dubois with respect and honor,” Usyk said through promoter and interpreter Alexander Krassyuk. “Some people on the internet are underestimating him, but not me. I treat him with respect like all of my opponents.

“He is the contender. I have to face him. If he is nominated to be my opponent, then I have to go through him. I will never run away from anyone or justify a reason to not fight them.”

That doesn’t mean, however, that Usyk is not disappointed by Fury’s onerous demands in the rematch clause language, which caused Usyk to walk away and for Fury to instead sign to fight novice boxer Ngannou in a 10-rounder in which his WBC title won’t be at stake.

Friday was my birthday! A great present would be for you to upgrade to a paid subscription for full access to all posts and comments — and to support independent journalism

“I think it’s easy money for Tyson Fury,” Usyk told BBC Sport. “I think for me it looks a little bit strange, to me, too strange.

“A guy who is WBC heavyweight champion instead of fighting a guy from the top 10, suddenly chooses the guy as his opponent coming from the UFC. For Ngannou, this is cool. But for Tyson Fury, it isn't. Your perception and my perception are different. You treat it like a show, I treat it as an athlete. If he chooses this way, OK, I respect his choice.”

Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs), a 36-year-old southpaw, who was the 2012 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist, is hopeful that a win over Dubois and a Fury win over Ngannou will bring them back to the bargaining table to fight next year, even though Usyk will be obligated to IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic. That fight could perhaps take place by the end of the year, which would still leave Usyk and Fury on roughly the same schedule to fight in the first half of 2024.

Becoming undisputed heavyweight champion has long been Usyk’s goal. He wants to follow in the footsteps of his boxing idol, Evander Holyfield, who first did it at cruiserweight during the three-belt era and then heavyweight.

Usyk also would have preferred to fight at home in Ukraine, which was not possible due to Russia’s invasion and unprovoked war that has devastated his country.

Usyk has not boxed at home since 2015 and will be fighting his 12th consecutive fight away from home, including all of his world title bouts. Many of them have taken place in his opponent’s hometown or country.

Fighting in Poland, which borders Ukraine and is home to millions of Ukrainians, many of whom fled because of the war, is as close as he can get to home and the bout with Dubois will take place close to Ukrainian Independence Day, which was on Thursday.

Usyk has lauded the bravery of the soldiers at home and has said several times that he wants his fights to bring his country’s people some joy and pride.

“First of all, I want to thank the guys who are defending Ukraine now, because only for the reason they are doing this we have the opportunity to defend our titles, to have our fights outside of Ukraine and to bring glory to our country and to the flag of our country,” Usyk said.

“I’m grateful to my team, my family, my wife. I’m grateful to my country and to Ukrainian soldiers.”

Dubois (19-1, 18 KOs), 25, of England, won the “regular” belt via fourth-round knockout of Trevor Bryan in June 2022 and has made one defense, a very shaky third-round stoppage of Kevin Lerena in December after Lerena dropped him three times in the first round and Dubois injured his knee.

Dubois, who has won four fights in a row by knockout since a 10th-round KO loss to Joe Joyce in 2020 in which Dubois suffered a broken orbital bone, claims his knee is healthy following the Lerena struggle. Nonetheless, few give him more than a puncher’s chance to win given Usyk’s standing near the top of most pound-for-pound lists.

But Dubois has come off confident and at ease during the build up.

“I’m ready. I’ve suffered through training camp. I’ve done all of that. I’m ready now,” Dubois said. “I’ve prepared. I’ve left no stone unturned. I’m ready. I’m confident and I'm just ready to go now.

“It feels good being the underdog. It feels very good to upset the script. This is what we’re all about — chaos brings drama. That’s what I want to do. Use my strength, my speed, my youth and just put it all out there, fighting out of my skin really. This is my chance; this is the big moment, so I’m up for it. This is what you prepare for, starting from a little kid to now. I’m not hyped up like crazy right now. I’m just focused on what I got to do. That Joe Joyce fight was preparing me for now. I’m getting ready to do the job now, to fire away and let it rip. My whole plan, my whole approach, is to go right through him.”

Dubois promoter Frank Warren knows his man is the underdog but said he’s fearless about fighting what in essence is an Usyk home fight.

“I’m very confident. That’s why we’re here,” Warren said at the fight-week news conference. “(Dubois) fought his way to the position he’s in. Seven years as a pro. All this talk he doesn’t have experience. Guys have won world titles with less fights than he’s had and he’s in with a great fighter, probably the greatest cruiserweight of this century, no doubt about that. But he’s in Daniel’s weight (class) and I genuinely feel he can win this fight. It’s not going to be easy but he’s not going to out there just looking to throw bombs.

“He’s not stupid. He’s a very, very accomplished and smart operator. Good boxer, has a fabulous jab, he’s got speed and I think it’ll be exciting. He’s coming into the lion’s den. That shows you what he’s all about.”

Then Warren turned toward Usyk and addressed him about the war in his country.

“We in Britain support what (Ukraine is) doing,” Warren said. “We’re behind you on that. But on Saturday night it’s gonna be how war should be conducted — in the ring, under rules between two magnificent athletes.”

Helenius fails drug test

Whatever banned substance heavyweight Robert Helenius tested positive for did nothing to assist his performance against former two-time unified titlist Anthony Joshua given that Joshua laid him out cold with a crushing right hand in the seventh round on Aug. 12 at The O2 in London.

Nonetheless, Helenius returned a positive Voluntary Anti-Doping Association random drug test, which Matchroom Boxing announced on Friday. The substance was not identified.

“Today, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) has informed Matchroom and the British Boxing Board of Control that Robert Helenius has returned an adverse analytical finding as part of a random anti-doping protocol,” Matchroom Boxing said in a statement. “Helenius was voluntarily tested on Friday, 11 August before the heavyweight fighter’s defeat by Anthony Joshua in London on Saturday, 12 August. The result was made known to Matchroom today (Friday).

“Matchroom defers to the relevant regulatory authorities on next steps. We vehemently continue to support voluntary anti-doping testing. We are committed to promoting a clean and fair sport for all athletes. We will not be making any further comment.”

Helenius (32-5, 21 KOs), 39, took the fight with Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs), 33, of England, on one week’s notice, hours after scoring a third-round knockout win in his home country of Finland on Aug. 5, because Joshua’s original opponent, Dillian Whyte, was booted from the fight due to his own failed VADA test.

Canelo-Charlo PPV undercard

Organizers made the official announcement on Friday of the pay-per-view undercard for the Canelo Alvarez-Jermell Charlo undisputed super middleweight championship fight and there were no surprises for the event on Sept. 30 (Showtime PPV and PPV.com, 8 p.m. ET).

Here are three fights, each previously reported by Fight Freaks Unite, that were made official:

• Junior middleweight Jesus Ramos Jr. (20-0, 16 KOs), 22, of Casa Grande, Arizona, will face former world title challenger and fellow southpaw Erickson Lubin (25-2, 18 KOs), 27, of Orlando, Florida, in the 12-round co-feature.

• Former WBA welterweight titleholder and Yordenis Ugas (27-5, 12 KOs), 37, a Cuban defector fighting out of Miami, and Mario Barrios (27-2, 18 KOs), 28, of San Antonio, will vie for the vacant WBC interim welterweight title.

• Middleweight up-and-comers Elijah Garcia (15-0, 12 KOs), 20, a southpaw from Phoenix, and Armando Resendiz (14-1, 10 KOs), 24, of Mexico, will fight in the 10-round opener.

Here’s what each of the fighters had say upon the announcement of the bouts:

Ramos: “I’m excited to be part of this huge card against a tough opponent. I know Lubin is training hard and coming to win, which will make for an entertaining fight. This whole card is stacked and we don’t want to disappoint, so the fans are in for a great night of boxing."

Lubin: “I know the world will be watching on Sept. 30 and I plan on winning in a big way. We’ve got a young and talented fighter in front of us, but I’m young and talented as well. The difference is that I’ve fought the cream of the crop of the 154-pound division. Doesn’t matter if it’s Olympians, top prospects, contenders or champions, I’ve taken them on. I have a big chip on my shoulder and I know that with this win, I’ll be in a mega fight. I’m training extremely hard and the whole world will see it pay off.”

Ugas: “Both me and Mario Barrios have a lot to gain with a victory, so I know that this fight is going to be one to remember. I have tremendous respect for Barrios. He’s a true warrior who’s been in the ring with the best of them, but I have confidence that I’ll be victorious. I have a lot of fight left in me and my best skills will be on display in this fight.”

Barrios: “This fight is going to be a war because we both fight with a lot of heart and neither of us ever backs down. I can’t wait to compete in a matchup like this on one of the biggest cards of the year. This is going to be a great night of boxing from start to finish and the Mexican fans can expect to see an explosive performance from ‘El Azteca.’”

Garcia: “This is my second fight this year on a huge pay-per-view card and I’m super excited and even more prepared than the first time. Resendiz is a hungry fighter just like myself, so I have no doubt that we are going to put on a hell of a show for all the fans watching.”

Resendiz: “I’m very happy to have this great opportunity to compete on such an important fight card. I’m excited to realize my dream of fighting in Las Vegas, just like my boxing idols that I watched on TV. I’ve had an amazing training camp that will help me look my best and put on a performance worthy of the boxing legends who inspire me.”

BetUS Boxing Show

If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Friday on YouTube, please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). We previewed and picked the two heavyweight main events on Saturday: Oleksandr Usyk’s mandatory defense of his three unified titles against Daniel Dubois in Poland and Jared Anderson against Andriy Rudenko in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We also took plenty of viewer questions and comments and discussed the latest boxing news! Please check out the show here:

Quick hits

Matchroom Boxing is planning a card in Monte Carlo for Nov. 4 (DAZN), a source with knowledge of the event told Fight Freaks Unite. According to the source, it will be headlined IBF junior lightweight titlist Joe Cordina (16-0, 9 KOs), 31, of Wales, against Edward Vasquez (15-1, 3 KOs), 27, of Fort Worth, Texas. The three other bouts being planned for the main card, the source said, are IBF junior flyweight titlist Sivenathi Nontshinga (12-0, 9 KOs), 24, of South Africa, making his second defense against Adrian Curiel (22-4-1, 3 KOs), 24, of Mexico; junior middleweight Souleymane Cissokho (16-0, 9 KOs), 32, of France, versus Isaias Lucero (16-1, 10 KOs), 27, of Mexico; and female junior featherweight Ramla Ali (8-1, 2 KOs), 33, a Somalia native fighting out of England, seeking to avenge a brutal eighth-round KO loss to Julissa Guzman (13-2-2, 7 KOs), 26, of Mexico, in a rematch of their bout on June 17.

---

Weights from Tulsa, Oklahoma, for Saturday’s Top Rank card on ESPN (10:30 p.m. ET): Jared Anderson 239.6 pounds, Andriy Rudenko 244.3; Efe Ajagba 236.5, Zhan Kossobutskiy 234.4; Bruce Carrington 126.7, Angel Antonio Contreras 126.8; Jeremiah Milton 254.4, Craig Lewis 260.4; Nico Ali Walsh 159.1, Sona Akale 157.9; Abdullah Mason 134.9, Cesar Villarraga 134.7; Ablaikhan Zhussupov 149.7, Winston Campos 149.8; Charly Suarez 130.6, Yohan Vasquez 129.6; Bakhodir Jalolov 253.6, Onoriode Ehwarieme 224.9.

---

Click photo to subscribe to DAZN for Collazo-Diagan and more

Weights from San Juan, Puerto Rico for Saturday’s Golden Boy card on DAZN (8 p.m. ET): Oscar Collazo 104.8 pounds, Garen Diagan 104 (for Collazo’s WBO strawweight title); Juan Carlos Camacho Jr. 114.6, Jorge Orozco 114.4; Angel Acosta 107.4, Carlos Buitrago 109 (rematch); Yan Carlos Santana 127, Jostin Ortiz 127; Yair Gallardo 174.4, Kevin Johnson 173.4.

Show and tell

Win or lose in his unified heavyweight title defense against Daniel Dubois on Saturday, Oleksandr Usyk is already a lock for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He was the 2012 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist for Ukraine. He went on to become the first four-belt undisputed cruiserweight champion and is arguably the best cruiserweight in division history with only Evander Holyfield (Usyk’s boxing idol) also in the conversation. And then Usyk moved up to heavyweight, where he became a three-belt titleholder by outpointing Anthony Joshua (and then doing it again in a rematch). Here are his two rookies, which are both from the 2012 Panini Adrenalyn XL Olympic set — the card and the sticker — in my collection.

A note to subscribers

I sincerely appreciate your readership. If you’re reading, it means you love boxing just like I do. If you’ve been reading you also know the quality and quantity of what I produce. It’s one-stop shopping. Read the newsletters and there is no need to search multiple websites or click a multitude of links to get the latest news, opinion and detailed fight schedule. Everything you need is in one spot and delivered directly to your inbox (or via phone alert if you download for free the superb Substack app). You don’t have to hunt for the news; it comes to you.

I believe that is worth something, so while I will continue providing stories, notes and the schedule for free, I encourage you to upgrade to a paid subscription for the most content. A paid subscription is your way of keeping this reader-supported newsletter going and supporting independent journalism. I am beholden to no network, promoter, manager, sanctioning body or fighter. If you have read my work at all during the past 23 years I’ve covered professional boxing you know that I keep it real and that will not change.

To upgrade your subscription please go here:

Thank you so much for your support of Fight Freaks Unite!

Photos: Usyk-Dubois: Piotr Duszczyk; Joshua-Helenius: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing; Anderson-Rudenko: Mikey Williams/Top Rank; Collazo-Diagan: Miguel Cotto Promotions

---

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danrafael1/

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanRafael1

Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanRafaelBoxing