Ahead of rematch, Dubois camp says Usyk ‘conned the referee’ in first bout

LONDON (AP) - Daniel Dubois’ trainer has accused Oleksandr Usyk of conning the referee the first time the two heavyweights squared off.

Usyk and Dubois will fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship on July 19 at Wembley Stadium in a rematch of their August 2023 bout - won by Usyk in a ninth-round stoppage - that included a controversial low blow.

It was halted in the fifth round for what the referee ruled a low blow by Dubois that sent Usyk to the canvas, with replays showing the punch hitting around the Ukrainian's belt. It was not given as a knockdown, no points were deducted from Dubois, and Usyk was given time to recover.

"You should be given an Oscar for the performance," Don Charles, Dubois' trainer, said at a news conference Tuesday. "You conned the referee, you conned us, you conned the boxing world."

The 38-year-old Usyk holds the WBA, WBC and WBO belts and is undefeated as a pro. Dubois, a 27-year-old London native, is the IBF champion.

The low blow remained the talking point Tuesday, when Usyk got up and asked Dubois to sign photos that allegedly showed punches below the belt from their first fight. Dubois smiled and complied.

"Why don't you print one of those .. of the actual shot that had you trembling," Charles said.

Usyk was unfazed by the criticism.

"You must teach your fighter to punch clean. But I win this fight," he said.

Usyk relinquished the IBF title when he chose to fight in a rematch against Tyson Fury in December. He won that bout in Saudi Arabia, like he did their first fight last May, the first fight for the undisputed championship since 2000.

Dubois knocked out Anthony Joshua in his first bout as IBF champ last September in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley.

"I'm on fire now," Dubois said Tuesday. "It’s going to be a bloodbath. I’m going to just put all the controversy and all of that nonsense to rest and show that I’m the man of the future."