In their attempt to overturn the result or secure a rematch, Daniel Dubois and his promoter, Frank Warren, have been unsuccessful in convincing the World Boxing Association (WBA) to change their stance on an incident that occurred during Dubois’ heavyweight title fight against Oleksandr Usyk on August 26 in Poland.
The incident in question was the “low blow” that Dubois landed on Usyk, which caused the Ukrainian to drop and gave him nearly five minutes to recover.
Despite Usyk’s recovery and eventual victory in the ninth round, Dubois and his team maintained that the blow was legal and not low.
However, the WBA has decided to uphold the result of Usyk vs. Dubois, denying Dubois the opportunity for a second chance. Their statement reads, “The ruling of the bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois held on August 26 will stand after a thorough study of the appeal made by Queensberry Promotions.”
The WBA further explains that they received an email from Dubois’ representation on September 4, expressing a desire to reverse the outcome due to the referee’s decision regarding the low blow. Queensberry Promotions submitted arguments and documents to support their case, which were shared with Usyk’s representatives, the IBF, and the WBO.
Upon review, the WBA officials and supervisor Jesper Jensen determined that the referee’s decision to consider the punch an accidental low blow was correct. The International Officials Committee also found no clear evidence that the original decision was incorrect. Therefore, the WBA has concluded that the appeal does not have merit and that Usyk’s victory and defense of his titles stand.
The WBA emphasizes that the decision regarding a low blow and a boxer’s ability to continue is solely within the competence of the referee. After careful examination of all the evidence and rules, they have determined that the referee’s decision is final.