Oleksandr Usyk has become boxing’s undisputed heavyweight champion for a second time after beating Britain’s Daniel Dubois at a packed Wembley Stadium.
The Ukrainian, 38, knocked Dubois down with a stunning right hook midway through round five, before finishing the job moments later with a devastating left hook to the chin of the 27-year-old.
Dubois was bidding to avenge his previous loss to Usyk and become the UK’s first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
However, the 27-year-old now joins Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua with two losses apiece to the undefeated Ukrainian.
Commenting on the victory, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: «He’s done it again. An undisputed champion. A legend. One of our own.
«Thank you for the strength and inspiration you give to the whole country with every victory. Thank you for stepping into each fight with Ukraine in your heart.
«Congratulations on the win – to you, to our country, and to everyone who cheered you on.»
Oleksandr Usyk speaks to the media in the ring after knocking down Daniel Dubois. Pic: PA
Usyk – who brought a group of Ukrainian war veterans to the fight – came in with the WBO, WBC and WBA belts, and Dubois the IBF.
The 38-year-old previously had all four versions but gave up the IBF last year, with Dubois claiming the vacant belt with a devasting win over Anthony Joshua in September.
In their previous fight, Usyk showed his class in Poland’s Krakow in 2023, where Dubois was adjudged to have landed an illegal low blow in the fifth round.
But the Ukrainian had been warned throughout fight week that he would face a «different» boxer on this occasion