For the past 11 years, 7 months, and 24 days, Oleksandr Usyk has showcased near-flawless mastery inside the professional boxing ring.
The 37-year-old Ukrainian icon remains undefeated in 23 pro bouts, rarely appearing vulnerable or outmatched. Yet, according to the man himself, he does possess a single weakness, which he revealed ahead of his undisputed clash against IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois.
The two titans are set to clash on July 19th at Wembley Stadium in a highly anticipated rematch. Ahead of the showdown, Usyk appeared in an interview with DAZN Boxing, where he may have revealed his greatest weakness. Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with technical shortcomings or defensive lapses—and no, it’s not even a body shot as many have noted.
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“My weakness—I love people,” Usyk revealed during the interview. “I love my opponent.” However, there’s an exception to this love—he didn’t have it for the former WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck. Yup, the only time. The duo squared off back on September 9, 2017, in Berlin, Germany, as part of the World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight tournament quarterfinals.
Usyk, of course, dominated the fight, using his superior footwork, speed, and jab, which overwhelmed Huck from the first round. Even though the German boxer showed resilience, Usyk secured a 10th-round knockout win. Regardless, Usyk doesn’t seem to be a big fan of Huck, as he revealed during the interview, “Only one of [my] opponents I don’t love—It’s Marco Huck.”
When asked whether Huck was a bad guy, Usyk agreed, stating, “Yeah, bad guy. Because this man says bad words for my mama. Listen, it’s bad.” It appears Daniel Dubois might have to up his trash-talking game, but even if he did, it might not bode too well for him, given what happened to Huck.
Whether Dubois uses this weakness or not, he seems determined to do one thing.
With just over two weeks remaining in their showdown, ‘DDD’ has made his intentions crystal clear—he wants to send off the 38-year-old unified champion on a vacation that doesn’t have an end. Usyk has just bid farewell to his long-time promoter Alexander Krassyuk, which sparked much speculation about his retirement, and Dubois just wants to be of help.
“Probably, possibly yes, I’m going in there to do as much damage as possible,” he told Sky Sports when asked if he thought this could be Usyk’s last fight. “These things are happening for a reason, and I’m just going to be ready to take the titles away from him.” The undisputed fight is, of course, Dubois’ shot at redemption after being forced to surrender in 2023.
It’s clear Oleksandr Usyk doesn’t have a lot of time left in the sport at 38. Whether Dubois can retire Usyk or it goes badly for the Brit remains to be seen.
