Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois poised for rematch with 'destruction and chaos' on menu


  • English
  • Arabic

The heavyweight boxing scene springs back into life on Saturday when Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois clash to become undisputed heavyweight champion at Wembley Stadium.

WBA, WBO and WBC champion Usyk, 38, is returning to the ring for the first time since December when he beat British fighter Tyson Fury for a second time in Riyadh.

The Ukrainian cemented his status as the greatest heavyweight of this generation when he inflicted another defeat on Fury when all three judges at the Kingdom Arena scored the fight 116-112.

That victory extended former undisputed world cruiserweight champion Usyk's unbeaten record to 23 fights (14KOs), with his heavyweight scalps also including two comprehensive wins over Anthony Joshua and a more controversial one against Dubois.

The latter victory in 2023 remains a bone of contention for London-born Dubois, who floored Usyk in the fifth round only for the referee to call a low blow.

The reigning champion was then given an extended period to recover, much to the frustration of Dubois' team at ringside, and would go on to drop his increasingly exhausted opponent in the eighth and ninth rounds before the fight was stopped.

The call was still being debated when the pair met for a press conference in April, ahead of the summer rematch.

Usyk arrived with several photographs of the controversial punch, which appeared to show it landing below the belt line, even asking his opponent to sign the images.

“It's disappointing me that you would stoop as low as bringing one of those photographs,” Dubois' coach Don Charles said.

“You should be given an Oscar for that performance. You conned the referee. You conned us. You conned the boxing world.” A smiling Usyk, replied: “You should teach your fighter to punch clean.”

Promoter Frank Warren, who represents Dubois, has said Usyk would find the Briton a very different prospect to the one he beat in their first encounter in Poland.

“Last time they fought Daniel the boy. This time they're fighting Daniel the man, and that's the difference and he'll find that out on Saturday,” Warren said.

“He [Usyk] is the best heavyweight of his generation, but everybody's the best until they get beaten and I think it's his time now.”

“I’m a different fighter now," agreed Dubois in an interview with The Guardian this week. "There have been real improvements. I’m doing things I’ve always done but I’m doing them better. Maybe I just want it more now."

Dubois has not fought since destroying former two-time world champion Joshua over five brutal rounds last September, in Riyadh Season's London debut.

In front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, Dubois secured the biggest win of his career as he dropped Joshua multiple times on the way to retaining his IBF belt.

Dubois, whose other defeat came against Joe Joyce, another Briton, in 2020, is confident that he is ready to make history by becoming the first man to beat Usyk and gain revenge for their previous bout.

“I have resurrected myself, resurrected my career and now we're on a roll,” Dubois, aiming to become Britain's first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999, told the BBC.

“Unstoppable, I feel like I can't be beat right now. I'm in the prime of my life and I'm going to go through whatever I have to do, We're here now, no more excuses.

“I've got to beat him this time and I am going to win. I am going to cause chaos, knockout, by any means possible. I am ready. Man, I'm ready 100 per cent.

“As soon as the bell rings my whole approach is to seek and destroy, bring chaos, get the victory and seize the moment.”

Former champion Fury, meanwhile, said earlier this month that he was ready to come out of retirement after calling time on his career following the latest Usyk loss.

The 36-year-old, whose last three fights have been in Saudi Arabia, was asked who his preferred comeback bout would be against.

“Who would I rather fight, right now? Usyk. Because I want my revenge in England,” he said.

“I don't believe I've got a fair shout the last two times. That's all I want. I want a fair shout, and I don't believe I've got a fair shout the last two times.

“That's the one I want, but if I don't get that then it'd be [Anthony] Joshua, the biggest British fight that will ever happen.”

Saudi Arabian boxing chief Turki Alalshikh also claimed that Fury had promised a return to action in 2026, albeit taking place in the kingdom once again.

On Wednesday, his promoter, Warren, said that Fury will not be fighting in 2025 but reiterated that revenge against Usyk was priority No 1.

“I spoke to him [Fury] over the weekend about boxing. He won't fight this year,” Warren told the 5 Live Boxing podcast.

“He's got this Netflix second series coming but he's in the gym. He's in it for his well-being, physically and mentally. It keeps him in a good place.”

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

match info

Chelsea 2
Willian (13'), Ross Barkley (64')

Liverpool 0

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Quick facts on cancer
  • Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases 
  •  About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime 
  • By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million 
  • 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries 
  • This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030 
  • At least one third of common cancers are preventable 
  • Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers 
  • Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
    strategies 
  • The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion

   

AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street

The seven points are:

Shakhbout bin Sultan Street

Dhafeer Street

Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)

Salama bint Butti Street

Al Dhafra Street

Rabdan Street

Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)

The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year
Top 10 most polluted cities
  1. Bhiwadi, India
  2. Ghaziabad, India
  3. Hotan, China
  4. Delhi, India
  5. Jaunpur, India
  6. Faisalabad, Pakistan
  7. Noida, India
  8. Bahawalpur, Pakistan
  9. Peshawar, Pakistan
  10. Bagpat, India
Brief scores

Toss India, chose to bat

India 281-7 in 50 ov (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79; Coulter-Nile 3-44)

Australia 137-9 in 21 ov (Maxwell 39, Warner 25; Chahal 3-30)

India won by 26 runs on Duckworth-Lewis Method

if you go
New schools in Dubai
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
The biog

Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.

It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.

They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.

Evacuations to France hit by controversy
  • Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
  • Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
  • The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
  • Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
  • It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
  • Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
  • Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HIJRA

Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy

Director: Shahad Ameen

Rating: 3/5

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Updated: July 17, 2025, 10:45 AM`