Daniel Dubois claims he was 'cheated' out of Oleksandr Usyk victory as Frank Warren demands rematch

Daniel Dubois said he was "cheated" out of victory against Oleksandr Usyk after a controversial low-blow call by the referee.

Usyk stopped Dubois in the ninth round in Wroclaw, Poland, to retain his IBF, WBO, WBA and IBO heavyweight belts, but he looked to be in serious trouble early in the fifth.

The Ukrainian was hit on the waistband of his shorts by a fierce blow from Dubois, and he almost immediately collapsed to all fours on the canvas, before resting up against the ropes after the referee signalled for a low blow.

However, with Usyk’s shorts raised above his navel, and with the champion in pain, the referee gave him several minutes to recover.

Speaking after the fight, Dubois was outraged.

“I didn't think it was a low blow, I’ve been cheated out of victory," Dubois said on TNT Sports Box Office. "What else can I say? I’ve been cheated out, but I’ve got to come again.”

His promoter Frank Warren called for a rematch, saying: “It hit him on the waist band, I wish they could put it up. That’s all he worked on in camp, working on the body. The referee got it badly wrong. If it was a low blow, why didn’t he take any points off him?

“He’s a hero. We all love Ukraine and what you’re fighting for.

"The governing body will have to do something again and order a rematch.

“[We will] appeal what goes on here, and we’ll see where it goes from here. It’s all about a legitimate punch that stopped him, a punch he’d been working on.”

Asked about a potential undisputed fight with Tyson Fury, Warren concluded: “There’s lots of fights to be made, everyone wants to see unification.

“If Daniel had got the result then it would have been easy to be made, but that was bull***.”

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