He tames the «young lion» again: Boxing champion Olexander Usik remains the measure of all things in the heavyweight division

Daniel Dubois has had to postpone the biggest project of his sporting career. The 27-year-old boxer from London aimed to become the first undisputed heavyweight world champion since Lennox Lewis (until 2004) with a victory over the Ukrainian Olexander Usik, who is eleven years his senior, on Saturday evening. He saw himself as the "young lion," as he put it, whose moment of glory had now arrived.

Instead, the man nicknamed "Dynamite" was counted out by the referee after less than five rounds and just under 14 minutes in the sold-out Wembley Arena. He had landed two direct hits within moments from veteran and pack leader Usik, who now holds all four relevant world titles (WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO) for the second time.

It was likely the most painful of Dubois's three defeats in 25 fights, as the powerhouse was just looking to demonstrate his boxing progress. Observers had acknowledged this, especially after his crushing stoppage victory over two-time former champion Anthony Joshua , which had earned Dubois the vacant IBF belt at the same venue ten months earlier.

His next opponent appeared to be a welcome demonstration object, despite the memories of their last duel: Usik had dominated Dubois almost at will at the first meeting two years ago in Wroclaw, knocking him out in the ninth round. All objections from the British corner regarding a body shot by their athlete, which was considered a low blow, could not change this.

Instead of a successful rematch, the 90,000 spectators in London witnessed the designated hero's system crash once again. Dubois once again failed to put the complete and flexible southpaw under pressure with jabs and combinations in his second attempt – and was rocked by a precise, powerful shot at the end of the second round.

The pattern repeated itself, as Dubois continued to act too straightforwardly, while his opponent continually found new angles for well-timed counters with both hands. In the fifth round, Usik then laid down his record weight of 103.1 kilograms in two devastating blows. Number one knocked Dubois off his feet; number two finished the match.

That was "Ivan," Usik explained to the assembled media afterward: a far-fetched counterattack with the left hand, who one had to imagine as a big, dark guy, but also as "my friend."

With such charming digressions, the still undefeated descendant of Tataren (24 wins) manages to keep the frustration of the British boxing nation within manageable limits. Otherwise, they would probably have to wish him to hell, as he has outmaneuvered so many of their hopefuls over the past five years, sometimes repeatedly, and preferably on their own turf—among them Joshua, Dubois, and Tyson Fury .

Instead, a great deal of respect, if not admiration, has grown. "Olexander Usik is a legend of our time," said promoter Frank Warren, who organized the internationally acclaimed boxing night, while still at the ringside. "No complaints, no excuses."

The combative head of Queensberry Promotions appeared far more confident at Wembley than in Wroclaw, where he had bristled at the alleged discrimination against his protégé Dubois. At the time, he had explained to the media, his face red, at what height a boxer should wear a groin protector. Even more significant, however, was the praise that former champion Lennox Lewis paid to the evening's winner: "This keep-moving thing works."

Meanwhile, even experts are barely able to predict who could pose a future threat to the completely healthy Usik. He himself left open any plans to rest with his family for "two or three months": "I lived in a house with fourteen people for three and a half months."