Legendary boxer Lennox Lewis expressed his opinion about the scandal that arose after the fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois in 2023. Lewis does not believe that the British boxer threw a prohibited blow below the belt, but instead believes that Usyk deceived the referee.
In the fifth round of the match, Usyk received a blow, after which he pretended that there was a violation of the rules. Referee Luis Pabon gave him five minutes to recover, which caused controversy among spectators and fighters. DuBois' team then appealed the fight's result, but it was rejected.
Lennox Lewis, in an interview with the YouTube channel Froch On Fighting, stated that in a similar situation, he would also have called the referee's attention to the punch, even if it was not prohibited.
"I would do the same, because we all know this sport. Ask any boxer, it was a blow to the elastic of the shorts. Was he faking it? It's part of the game," Lewis explained, adding that all boxers do this to gain some advantage.
Oleksandr Usyk won the fight by technical knockout in the ninth round, but the scandal surrounding the blow below the belt continued to attract attention. Dubois threatened to take revenge on the Ukrainian champion, and the head of Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Entertainment, Turki Al al-Sheikh, announced his intention to organize a rematch between them.
This fight between Usyk and DuBois left many questions, and opinions about the incident with a punch below the belt continue to divide the boxer and their fans. Lennox Lewis, as an experienced boxer, supported Usyk's strategy, pointing out that such actions are a normal part of boxing.
