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27th August 2023
12:04pm BST
TNT pundits were adamant that Daniel Dubois' punch that floored Oleksandr Usykwas not a low blow as the referee declared, and was perfectly legal.
Dubois was being outboxed and outsmarted throughout the fight, having no real joy against the Ukranian who was in complete control, until the Englishman landed a body shot that dropped the reigning champion.
Immediately Usyk was claiming that it was below the belt, and the referee awarded him the obligatory five minutes of recovery that you're allowed when such a situation occurs.
The silky southpaw then resumed his dominance, and stopped Dubois in the ninth round to seal his victory, and keep the four world title belts that he holds.
However, TNT pundit and former world champion Carl Frampton emphatically stated that the shot was not low, and that hit Usyk in the stomach, meaning that he should have been counted out, and Dubois should be the new champ.
"When I saw it, it didn't look low to me. That was not a low blow. That was a body shot. He should have been counted out. Daniel Dubois should be unified heavyweight champion right now.
"I still don’t think it was [a low blow]," Frampton added.
"The shot was borderline, some referees would say it was low and others would let you get away with it. For me it wasn’t low, Usyk has used his experience and taken a body shot.
"That did not hit the part that he has led us to believe it hit him, he has taken a body shot, he has thought I can get away with pretending this is low.
"He took a rest because he has been hit by a body-shot."
Former WBC super-middleweight champion Richie Woodhall also spoke out against the decision claiming 'fingers will be pointed at the referee'.
"It was a borderline shot and there'll be a lot of fingers pointed at the referee tonight, especially from the Dubois camp."
Dubois promotor Frank Warren immediately called for a rematch after the fight, claiming that the decision was 'total nonsense'.
"This is a boxing match and should be above board, but it was not a low blow. It’s a nonsense, a total nonsense. The governing bodies must order a rematch.
"It wasn't a low blow. I wish they could put it up on there now and we could all see it. They didn't take any points off him. I like Usyk, but that was a complete home decision.
"He was not fit to go on and they gave him a couple of minutes to recover. It should be straight and it should be above board. How long did he get to recover?
"The governing bodies will have to look at that and order a rematch. We will order appeal what's happened here. It's all about a legitimate punch that stopped him and he should have won Everyone wants to see the unification.
"If Daniel had got the result then it would have been easy to do. We will see now."
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