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| AHEAD OF THE first ever Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World clash on British soil on July 19, the two champions Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois were at Wembley Stadium today on media duty before intensifying preparations for the historic occasion. Below are a selection of key quotes from the opening press conference: Frank Warren “It will be a massive night and a historic one for British sport because the undisputed title has never been fought for in the UK. There will be four belts on the line and it is history-making stuff. “It is an opportunity for Daniel to etch his name in British sporting history. If he wins this fight he will be the first Brit to hold the four belts and that is a great, great carrot for him to go and get. This is a fight against Oleksandr, who is looked at as being the best heavyweight of his generation and he was certainly the best cruiserweight of his generation. He also won a gold medal at the Olympic Games. “He has done everything asked of him, he is undefeated and he is a magnificent fighter. Every Brit he has fought he has got the decision against or stopped them. “We are going to sell out here and it will be a fantastic night. Daniel is on a magnificent run since his controversial loss against Oleksandr and he has done everything in style, beating three world class fighters. He has shown what he is all about. “On 19 July we are going to see history, we are going to see the best fighting the best, the No.1 against the No.2. The two best active heavyweights in the world putting it all on the line and it is going to be something magnificent. “The low blow is done and dusted. It was not Daniel’s time and the referee, for me, got it wrong. He can put that right on the 19th. We can’t change what happened, we can bleat and bitch about it, but look at the record books and it says what it is. It is all about now.” Alex Krassyuk “It is always a pleasure to be back to London with the best boxing audience you can find in the world. As they say, wisdom is the fruit of experience and this can be very much related to boxing. You know what, Daniel Dubois had his priceless experience in the first fight and now he is not a kid anymore. Now he is a mature man with the IBF belt around his waist. “The one who underestimates him does terribly wrong. I have a protege next to me, who has completed it all and, do you know what, he is still hungry and ready to expose his version of wisdom on July 19 here at Wembley. Fighting, by the way, for something historical that has never been done before. Formerly Oleksandr thought he would be playing at Wembley, now he will be fighting at Wembley. “One more important thing to know. This time you will see a version of Usyk you have never seen before. No more controversies, no more question marks, let the victory go to the one who deserves it more.” Don Charles “Me personally I have a lot of respect for you as a fighter, what you have achieved is remarkable, but it disappoints me that you can bring the type of photos you are looking at (pictures of ‘low blow’ signed by Usyk and Dubois). Why don’t you bring a print of the actual shot that had you trembling. You’ve heard of the Oscars? You should be given one for the acting you did that night, for the performance. You conned the referee, you conned us, you conned the boxing world. I’ve always maintained that and I still do.” Oleksandr Usyk “I believe you are jealous (to Don Charles). You are right, I deserve an Oscar. Listen, you must teach your fighter to punch clean, but I won the fight with a jab. Enough. “I don’t think about these people (who say he cheated) because it is just talking. Listen, boxing is my life. A lot of people said ‘you won’t make heavyweight’ or be a four-belt cruiserweight. You know what I say? We’ll see. “For me it doesn’t matter, it is my road, just my road, blah, blah, blah. I am ready right now, not after tomorrow, right now. It is all only talk. I respect this team and I respect all my opponents, those from the UK and the rest of the world. Daniel Dubois “Yeah (I was cheated) but it is in the past now. It happened and I get the chance to put that wrong right and clear up the controversy. There is a lot of sh*t being talked about right now and I can’t wait to put him to sleep on the night. “I think I am on fire now, I’m on fire and just pent up and ready to go. It is going to be a bloodbath and I will put all the nonsense to rest. I will show I am a man of the future. “I know that in the ring on the night he will be doing a funny dance when I hit him.” |
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