Wembley lit up once again on fight night, but for Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois, it was another night where things didn’t quite go to plan. The 27-year-old heavyweight, still carving out his legacy, stepped in with Oleksandr Usyk knowing full well the challenge ahead. For Dubois, it was a big moment. “It’s definitely the biggest fight of my life. It’s strange but it feels like it’s been going under the cover, like it hasn’t been really hyped‑up as I would have thought a unification fight will be. But maybe that will pick up on the night.” 

Usyk, the 38-year-old master technician and reigning undisputed champion, showed once again why he’s considered boxing’s ultimate puzzle, dropping Dubois twice in the fifth round before closing the show in brutal, clinical fashion.

“I gave everything I had,” Dubois said after the loss. “I take no credit away from the man. But I’ll be back.” For Dubois, the defeat carried a bitter twist. Less than a year ago, it was he who stole the headlines at the same arena, stopping Anthony Joshua in the very same fifth round.

This time, the tables turned, with Usyk handing the British knockout artist a humbling reminder of the gap between contender and champion. And while the loss stung, it also revealed a different side to Dubois—the one outside the ring.

Just hours after the fight, the Londoner took to Instagram to share his thoughts, showing a mix of humility and resolve. “Didn’t go my way. Congratulations to @usykkaa, a great champion. Massive thanks to my family, the team and everyone who supported me. I feel the love. Back to work. I’ll rise again.”

It wasn’t a hollow PR line or a defiant rant—just an honest acknowledgment of what went wrong, paired with gratitude and a quiet promise to bounce back.

Oleksandr Usyk weighs rival options 

Fresh off his emphatic fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois, Oleksandr Usyk is pressing pause on the chaos—for now. The 38-year-old Ukrainian, who just cemented his status as boxing’s undisputed heavyweight champion, told DAZN Boxing’s Ade Oladipo he plans to step away briefly before entertaining any title defenses. “Nothing, it’s enough. Next, I don’t know. I wanna rest… back in home, my wife, children… I wanna rest now, maybe 2-3 months, just rest,” he admitted, sounding every bit like a man who’s earned a breather after two demanding years of back-to-back wars.

But make no mistake—Usyk’s hiatus isn’t a retirement curtain call. Even while craving downtime, the masterful southpaw teased a return against some familiar names. “Maybe Tyson Fury… maybe, we have 3 options—Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua. Maybe, Joseph Parker. Listen, I can not now say… I wanna go back home,” he explained, leaving the door wide open for blockbuster matchups once he’s recharged.

Among those names, Joseph Parker looms as the most logical challenger. The New Zealand native, holding the interim WBO strap, has waited patiently as the division’s mandatory contender. With Usyk likely to put his belts back on the line in 2025, Parker’s long-anticipated title opportunity finally seems within reach.

And while Usyk recharges, there’s another contender eager to complicate the picture. Lawrence Okolie, Hackney’s towering bruiser and the current #1 WBC contender, is gearing up for his own defining test against Agit Kabayel for the interim title. A win would put the 2016 Olympian right behind Parker in the queue for a shot at Usyk’s crown. But with Usyk’s 39th birthday on the horizon, the clock is undeniably ticking. After dismantling Dubois, the Ukrainian has proven he still commands the throne, but how long he’ll keep defending it remains the burning question—and the spark fueling the division’s growing intrigue.