PANAMA – The World Boxing Association (WBA) has upheld Oleksandr Usyk’s win over Daniel Dubois, with the governing body saying it found “no clear and conclusive evidence” that the referee had incorrectly ruled a fifth-round punch as a low blow.
World heavyweight champion Usyk went down in the fifth round of the bout in Poland in August after being hit on the band of his shorts. The referee ruled it a low blow and gave Usyk nearly four minutes to recover.
The Ukrainian then claimed a ninth-round knockout win to retain his WBA, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organisation belts.
Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren said it had been a legitimate shot by his fighter, with Warren’s Queensberry Promotions lodging an appeal in September to declare the loss a “no contest” and order a rematch.
“The supervisor of the pioneer body, (Jesper) Jensen, determined that referee Luis Pabon made the correct decision regarding the punch, which he considered an accidental low blow,” the WBA said in a statement on Thursday.
“With the supervisor’s opinion, the WBA decided to send the case to the International Officials Committee, who on Sept 11, issued their review and found that there was no clear and conclusive evidence that the original decision made by Pabon on Dubois’ punch to Usyk was wrong. They also concluded that no TV clip had evidence that the decision was incorrect. After studying all the documents... it was determined that the appeal does not proceed and the decision of the fight stands with the victory and defence of the champion Usyk.”
Usyk is set to take on World Boxing Council world champion Tyson Fury in a unification fight in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Fury’s half-brother, Tommy, said his boxing fight with YouTuber KSI on Saturday has become a “circus” after the pair traded insults while separated by perspex glass inside a cage on Thursday.
The build-up to the six-round cruiserweight contest at the Manchester Arena was marred at a press conference on Thursday when bottles were thrown and insults traded.
Animosity has steadily been building between Fury and KSI, who may be relative novices in boxing but have quickly adapted to the sport’s habit of pre-fight controversy.
Tommy’s outspoken father John stepped into a metal cage and threw punches at the transparent partition separating him from KSI, who earlier dodged a bottle thrown from a side of the stage.
WWE star Logan Paul, set to compete in the co-main event bout in Manchester, was left with a cut on his face after a brief brawl with his opponent Dillon Danis before the rivals were separated by security.
“I’m in the crossover world of boxing, it’s a circus act. We know what we’re in for. I’m here to fight. Cut all the other stuff, we’re fighting in two days, the talking is done,” Tommy said.
The ugly scenes hardly improved the image of YouTube boxing, with this weekend’s event not sanctioned by the British Boxing Board of Control but instead by the Professional Boxing Association.
However, Tommy is adamant his relative experience in the sport in contrast to his rival will become clear when they settle their differences in the ring.
“We all know what’s going to happen. There’s no way this man can live with me. Who’s he fought? He’s fought a rapper and the rest are YouTubers.” he said.
“In this boxing world, he is a bum. I’m not interested in him. I’m levels above these guys. I’ve got every single advantage: bigger, stronger, reach, weight. This will be an early night, I promise you. I’ve trained like a demon for 10 weeks for this man and I’ve sparred everybody, I’ve been sparring Tyson, been sparring the whole lot of them.”
Tommy Fury won his first two professional bouts before catapulting himself to celebrity status with a stint in the popular television show Love Island in 2019. He has triumphed in another seven fights since then, beating another YouTube fighter in Jake Paul by split decision earlier in 2023. REUTERS, AFP
