It’s been days since Daniel Dubois walked out of a Wroclaw ring feeling robbed. In August 2023, he faced Oleksandr Usyk in a bout that ended with the Ukrainian stopping him in the ninth—but the controversy that exploded in Round 5 still looms large.

Dubois had dropped the champion with a vicious right hook to the body. Yet, in a moment that split the boxing world, referee Luis Pabon ruled it a low blow—despite replays clearly showing it landed on the belt line. The decision gave Usyk nearly four minutes to recover, and the fight resumed with Dubois visibly frustrated. Ever since, his team—including promoter Frank Warren and coach Don Charles—have maintained that the Brit was cheated. “He knows that he cheated on that night,” Charles boldly stated, adding that even Usyk’s conscience should feel it.

Now, as they prepare to clash again on July 19 at Wembley Stadium, “Dynamite” isn’t just fighting for belts—he’s fighting for closure. At their heated face-off, Dubois made his intentions clear with a one-word Instagram caption: “Revenge.” The tension escalated when he shoved Usyk before security jumped in. Speaking to The Guardian, Dubois declared, “This is the fight I wanted and demanded, and now I get my chance for revenge against Oleksandr Usyk. I am a superior and more dangerous fighter now, and Usyk will find this out for himself on July 19.”

Backing up this fire is none other than former world champion Ricky Hatton, who believes the rematch could swing Dubois’s way. In an interview with Boxing News, the Mancunian legend said, “I think it’s the best fight, they’re the best two heavyweights in the world. Bit of controversy last time, which goes with the game in boxing, doesn’t it, a bit of controversy. I think Daniel has a better chance than the first time, what with a win off Joshua.”

He didn’t stop there. Hatton added: “His confidence is massively up. When he fought Usyk first time, he come off the defeat from Joyce, but now he’s absolutely flying, he’s got a better chance than the first time round, I think.”

That’s not just hype—Dubois knocked out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round at Wembley last September, retaining his IBF title and handing AJ his first professional defeat at the venue. The upset elevated Dubois’s stock and, more importantly, his confidence.

As for Oleksandr Usyk, the composed Olympic gold medalist has been here before—facing doubters and answering with dominance. But even a technician like him knows the rematch stakes are different. Dubois isn’t coming in as the challenger this time—he’s stepping in as a champion with something to prove.

Whether Hatton’s prediction is prophecy or just fanfare, let’s dive deep into what some other greats have to say.

Boxing Greats Divided Ahead of Usyk vs. Dubois Rematch

Former world champion Carl Froch has weighed in with a sharp analysis of the showdown, focusing on Usyk’s age, Dubois’ evolution, and what’s truly at stake when they meet again at Wembley. Speaking to Sporting Talk, Froch began by addressing the question on everyone’s mind: can Daniel Dubois shock the world this time? “Can he shock the world? In a word, yes, he can, because Usyk is 38, so I’ve been 38, nine years ago, but I know how it feels,” he explained. Drawing from his own career, Froch added, “I retired at 36, I was a month away from being 37 when I chinned Groves at Wembley in front of 80,000 fans and went on to become an International Boxing Hall of Famer.”

Though Froch acknowledged that heavyweights aren’t constrained by weight cuts like lighter fighters, he believes age still plays its part. “He’s still got a mind that’s slowing down, still got reflexes that are diminishing, still got old joints and old bones, hundreds of fights in the amateur,” Froch pointed out, suggesting Usyk’s battle-hardened body may not hold up forever.

Turning to Dubois, Froch praised the Brit’s transformation since their first bout: “Dubois is young. The first fight was quite close when Dubois was unsure of himself. Dubois has gone and flattened ‘AJ’, had a couple of fights against Jarrell Miller and looked good against Hrgovic. You’ve got to say now Dubois is a machine and time waits for no man.” Still, when pushed for a prediction, the “Cobra” leaned ever so slightly toward the more experienced fighter: “It’s exciting, good fight, you’ve got to make Usyk the favourite, but it’s a fight Dubois can win … I would say it’s closer to even, but I give Usyk the edge, 55–45%.”

Meanwhile, Tony Bellew has taken a more critical—and personal—stance. The former cruiserweight champion believes Dubois’s biggest hurdle isn’t physical, but mental. Speaking to TalkSPORT, Bellew said, “The first time you say ‘no mas’ or ‘I can’t fight no more’ is the hardest thing in your life. When you’re in that ring and you quit, it’s the hardest. Once you’ve done it once, it only gets easier from there on in. He [Usyk] is the man who can take you back to that place.” Bellew added pointedly, “Daniel’s done it twice. Now people don’t like me for saying that, but that’s just the truth.”

But those remarks didn’t sit well with Dubois’s promoter Frank Warren, who fired back in defense of his fighter. “I won’t even dignify anything he says about Daniel Dubois,” Warren told Seconds Out, before concluding bluntly, “I think he’s just a nasty bas**d at times. That’s it.”*

From Froch’s seasoned insight to Bellew’s brutal honesty, the rematch has split opinion among boxing greats—setting the stage for a showdown where only one man can prove them right. With legends divided and tensions high, July 19 is shaping up to be more than a rematch—it’s a reckoning for both man and myth.