Oleksandr Usyk's victory over Daniel Dubois over the weekend is still the talk of the boxing world, but it's the low blow decision that continues to dominate the headlines rather than either fighter's overall performance.
Uysk won via a ninth-round stoppage to retain the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles, but it was a fifth-round body shot by Dubois that grabbed all the attention from the bout, as Usyk was knocked to the mat with a punch that referee Luis Pabon ruled a low blow, allowing the champion several minutes to recover before resuming the fight.
Dubois' camp claimed the shot should have ended the bout — as a knockout — but Usyk said that he would've gotten back to his feet had the referee ruled the punch legal.
“For me, 100 percent, if the referee started to count, I would definitely jump up,” Usyk told Boxing King Media through a translator. “I would be on my feet. It would be hard for me to recuperate and come back to my normal state, but there is no doubt that I would be up."
Usyk added that he felt Dubois' body shot was indicative of the challenger's "dirty tactics" in trying to get the victory.
“It’s not a good thing when people try to get the victory using those dirty tactics," Usyk said. "You cannot win by being dirty. You have to be clean."