Dubois was the beneficiary of this move by the IBF, picking up the interim title with a June 2024 stoppage of Filip Hrgovic and then being elevated to full champion after Usyk was stripped. Dubois then defended his title with a spectacular knockout of Anthony Joshua in Wembley Stadium.

Yet Usyk, 11 years Dubois's elder, looked decades wiser in pugilistic terms, as he taught Dubois a harsh sporting lesson in London. Dubois barely even had moments to speak of, while Usyk established a key weapon early on – a counter, southpaw cross ...