'Discipline' behind heavyweight chamopion's Usyk desire to box on after knocking out Dubois / Photo: Adrian Dennis - AFP
'Discipline' behind heavyweight chamopion's Usyk desire to box on after knocking out Dubois
Olesksandr Usyk said "discipline" rather than "motivation" was fuelling his desire to box on after he underlined his status as the supreme heavyweight of his generation with a fifth round knockout of Daniel Dubois at London's Wembley Stadium.
Saturday's success saw the 38-year-old Ukrainian become the undisputed heavyweight world champion for the second time in a career of 24 wins from as many professional fights as he deprived Dubois of his IBF title in commanding fashion.
It was also the second time he had beaten Dubois, at 27 some 11 years his junior, after a ninth-round stoppage success in Krakow, Poland, in 2023.
And with Usyk having also twice defeated another British world heavyweight champion in Tyson Fury, many are asking what challenges are left for him to conquer in the ring.
Usyk told a post-fight press conference that while he was looking forward to an extended rest, and was unsure of his next opponent, he still wanted to continue his brilliant career.
"I prepare three-and-a-half months, I don't see my family, my wife," he said. "Every day I live with my team, with 14 guys, in one house, every day only one face.
"Now I want to go back home, now I want to make a choice, what next, I will continue boxing, I will continue training.
"I don't have motivation, I have discipline, motivation is temporary, today for example, today you have motivation, tomorrow wake up early, you don't have motivation, but when I wake up early in the morning in training, I never have motivation, I have only discipline, because when I wake up, my team too, wake up and we go to training."
Saturday's success was Usyk's latest triumph in Britain, where he won Olympic heavyweight gold at the 2012 London Games.
"For me, the UK is like a second home because this is where I won all my trophies," he said.
"European champion, amateur boxing, London 2012, Tony Bellew, Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua and now three-time undisputed Champion," added Usyk, who previously unified the cruiserweight division.
"I'm very grateful for this country."
- 'Once in a generation' -
Dubois did not attend the post-fight press conference, with veteran British promoter Frank Warren speaking on his behalf.
Warren insisted Dubois' career was far from finished.
"I look back at Frank Bruno, for example, three times he fought for the world title, and he got it in the fourth attempt. And Daniel, he's won a world title, so hopefully he will come back and learn from it."
There were suggestions before the fight that Usyk's age would count against him.
"We were all hoping that, you know, we're Brits, you know, he (Dubois) is a British fighter, I was hoping that," said Warren.
"But he (Usyk), he's got really strong resilience. I mean, he's a unique guy, isn't he? He's undefeated still, 38 years of age.
"He's a tremendous, tremendous fighter. And fighters like him come along once in a generation."
L.Papageorgiou--AN-GR
