WBA denies Dubois appeal seeking to overturn result of KO loss to Usyk
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.
The WBA on Thursday formally denied an appeal from heavyweight Daniel Dubois and promoter Frank Warren seeking to overturn the result of unified heavyweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk’s ninth-round knockout win on Aug. 26 to retain his three belts.
Warren, of Queensberry Promotions, filed a protest to the WBA on Sept. 5 on behalf of Dubois seeking to have the fight result changed to a no contest and for a rematch to be ordered.
The protest revolved around what referee Luis Pabon ruled a low blow from Dubois to Usyk in the fifth round and Pabon’s actions following his ruling of the accidental foul, which entitled Usyk to as many as five minutes to recover as allowed under the unified rules of boxing that governed the mandatory bout at Stadion Wroclaw in Wroclaw, Poland. Dubois and Warren argued it was a legal punch.
“Under the WBA Rules, the determination of whether a blow is low, and whether after an accidental blow the injured boxer may continue, is solely in the hands of the referee,” the WBA said in its resolution, a copy of which was obtained by Fight Freaks Unite. “The Rules provide that the ‘referee shall be the only authorized person to determine if a foul has produced an injury, and if it was accidental or intentional.’”
Later in the resolution, the WBA added, “After careful review of the appeal, the reply, all documents, and evidence presented by both the appellant and respondent, the report of the supervisor, and the report of the International Officials Committee, the Championships Committee has determined that the appellant has not met his burden of proof in having the Committee set aside the result of the Usyk-Dubois bout and therefore the bout decision will not be set aside.”
Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), 36, a southpaw from Ukraine and the former undisputed cruiserweight champion, dominated the fight before he knocked out then-WBA “regular” titlist Dubois (19-2, 18 KOs), 25, of England, in the ninth round.
Soon after, Usyk and lineal/WBC champion Tyson Fury signed for an undisputed championship fight that will take place on either Dec. 23 or in early 2024, as long as Fury defeats MMA star Francis Ngannou when he crosses over to boxing for their Oct. 28 bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Read the WBA’s full resolution on the Usyk-Dubois matter below:
Upgrade to a paid subscription for full access to all posts and comments — and help support independent journalism