Oleksandr Usyk insists he’s not one of boxing’s all-time greats. But on Saturday night at Wembley Stadium, before a heaving crowd of nearly 90,000, the Ukrainian provided another devastating argument to the contrary.
With a thunderous fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois, Usyk reclaimed his status as undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and silenced any doubts about his age, power, or legacy.
The 38-year-old, unbeaten in 24 fights, floored Dubois twice in the fifth round – the second a lunging left hook that sent the Briton crashing to the canvas. Dubois couldn’t beat the count. The referee waved it off, and Wembley erupted.
That punch, Usyk later revealed with a grin, has a name.
“It’s called ‘Ivan’,” Usyk said, drawing laughs at the post-fight press conference. “Ivan is like a big guy who lives in the village and works on the farm … it’s a hard, hard punch.”
Hard was an understatement. It was clinical, conclusive, and crushing – and it underscored Usyk’s credentials as not just a ring technician but a fearsome finisher when it counts.
The victory sees Usyk retain his WBA, WBC and WBO titles, while reclaiming the IBF crown he relinquished last year to focus on his rematch with Tyson Fury. He is now a two-time undisputed champion in the heavyweight division, a feat that places him in rarefied air.
“Ha, no,” Usyk responded with a smile when asked if he considered himself among the greatest of all time. “For me, UK is like a second home because this is where I take all my trophies. European champion in Liverpool, London 2012 [Olympics], Tony Bellew, Dereck Chisora, Anthony Joshua … and now Dubois. I am very grateful for this country.”
Saturday marked the second time in under two years Usyk had beaten Dubois. Their previous meeting, in Poland, ended in the ninth round and was mired in controversy over a low-blow claim. This time, there was no debate. Just domination.
Dubois, now 22-3, was coming off a career-defining win last September when he knocked out Joshua at Wembley. Hopes were high he could complete a stunning double and become the first Briton to hold all four major belts since Lennox Lewis.
But against Usyk’s speed, movement and unerring precision, he was outmatched.
“I have to commend him on his performance,” Dubois said to DAZN. “I gave everything I had. Probably a few things I could have sharpened up on, but take no credit away from the man. I’ll go back to the drawing board and come again.”
He added: “I want to thank everyone for coming out. I gave my best.”
Frank Warren, promoter for Queensberry, offered a gracious tribute to both fighters, but especially to the champion.
“We witnessed one of the true modern-day legends tonight in action,” Warren said. “Oleksandr Usyk, for me, is a heavyweight in any generation who would be an outstanding fighter. I take my hat off to him. He is something special.”
Despite being in his late thirties, Usyk has no plans to slow down. He named Tyson Fury, Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker as possible future opponents, and even acknowledged Jake Paul’s surprise callout.
“I will continue boxing and I will continue training, but now I cannot say who my next opponent will be,” he said. “I prepared three and a half months, I’ve not seen my family, my wife. Every day I live with my team – 14 guys in one house. Now I want to go back home.”
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Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
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LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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