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Donald McRae
Our man in the building Donald McRae has checked in with a dispatch from ringside.
It’s good to be ringside for this one as at the last few big shows in the UK most of us humble boxing hacks have been shunted up into the gods. Ninety thousand fans are expected tonight, which is 6,000 less than last September when Daniel Dubois shocked Anthony Joshua and many in British boxing by crushing his older rival. But it’s still an impressive crowd as Dubois lacks the kind of vast following Joshua and Tyson Fury have built up over the last dozen years.
The main undercard fight between Lawrence Okolie, campaigning as a heavyweight now, and the South African Kevin Lerena is approaching the later rounds. Okolie can be a destructive puncher and Lerena knocked down Dubois multiple times during their slu-fest in 2022. But this scrap is a more typical Okokie bout – low on thrills and high on tedium. At the moment there is a low hum around Wembley which only breaks out into something more enthusiastic when the bell rings for the end of another round and one of the usual old fight-night ditties is cranked up.
In contrast to Okolie and Lerena, Jake Paul caught the attention of the crowd who responded with deep and sustained booing when he arrived 30 minutes ago with his fiancée, the Dutch speed skating star Jutta Leerdam. But we’re all really just waiting for the lights to dim and Usyk and Dubois to make their ring walks. The atmosphere then, unlike now, will be electric …
Also here at Wembley is Hamzah Sheeraz, the rising British star fresh off his career-best win last Saturday in New York. Fighting in the main event of a Ring Magazine card at Louis Armstrong Stadium – the first boxing show ever held at the US Open tennis venue – the 26-year-old from Ilford dropped Edgar Berlanga twice in the fourth round before finishing him just 17 seconds into the fifth. It was a spectacular 168lb debut for Sheeraz, who rebounded from a frustrating draw at middleweight in February with a headling-grabbing performance under new trainer Andy Lee.
The stars are out tonight at Wembley. An expected crowd of 90,000 are here to watch Dubois attempt to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
Lawrence Okolie and Kevin Lerena are just under way in the final preliminary of the evening, a scheduled 12-round heavyweight bout. Before that, Daniel Lapin extended his unbeaten run to 12-0 with a mostly forgettable points win over Lewis Edmondson in a 10-round light heavyweight scrap. The Ukrainian southpaw edged it on two of the three scorecards, 96–94, while the third judge had it even at 95–95, a reflection of a fight short on clean action and high on clinches.
Edmondson, coming off two strong wins including a breakout performance against Dan Azeez, struggled to find rhythm against the awkward 6ft 6in Lapin. Both men were guilty of excessive holding, and referee Marcus McDonnell repeatedly intervened to separate them and issue warnings. Lapin landed occasional left hands, while Edmondson responded with sporadic right hooks, but neither fighter was able to impose their will. The contest deteriorated into a maul by the later rounds, drawing ironic cheers from the crowd. In the end, Lapin’s slightly sharper work down the stretch proved just enough.
Preamble
The stakes could hardly be higher. On Saturday night at Wembley Stadium, Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois will square off once again, this time with every major heavyweight title on the line and a crowd of 90,000 watching from the stands.
It’s been nearly two years since their first encounter in Wroclaw, where Usyk weathered a contentious low blow and stopped Dubois in the ninth round. That bout ended with more questions than answers. Was Dubois denied a fair shot by referee Luis Pabon’s ruling? Or did Usyk simply prove, as he has time and again, that he’s one of the sport’s most complete fighters?
Since then, the Ukrainian southpaw has only strengthened his case. Back-to-back wins over Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia made him the first undisputed world heavyweight champion in nearly a quarter-century. He briefly relinquished his IBF title to pursue a rematch with Fury – a belt that eventually made its way to Dubois – but on Saturday he has the chance to collect it once again and become a two-time undisputed champion.
Usyk has made a habit of dismantling British heavyweights, from Anthony Joshua to Derek Chisora to Fury, and arrives in London unbeaten as a pro, a perfect 23-0 with 14 wins coming inside the distance. He’s heavier than ever, but still moves with the grace of a former cruiserweight king and Olympic gold medallist.
Dubois, however, insists this time will be different. The 27-year-old Londoner is riding high off three straight knockout wins, capped by a stunning stoppage of Joshua last September at this very stadium. He’s been rebuilt, rededicated and restructured under the ever-watchful eye of his father, Stan Dubois, who remains the architect of his career.
Still, questions linger. Can Dubois cope with Usyk’s jab and angles? Can he close the distance without getting picked apart? Or will Saturday mark yet another masterclass from the man who continues to outwit and outfight the best of Britain?
Lennox Lewis remains the last British man to unify the heavyweight division. If Dubois can spring the upset, he’ll do what Fury and Joshua could not and join Lewis in the history books.
The main event ringwalks are expected around 9.45pm local time. Stick with us for full coverage, analysis and live round-by-round updates as it happens.
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Donald McRae’s lookahead to tonight’s main event.
