Daniel Dubois gives a unique account of how Oleksandr Usyk, his former opponent, secured an 11th round stoppage victory over Rico Verhoeven.

The Ukrainian successfully defended his WBC heavyweight title last week, but his victory was put under the microscope after referee Mark Lyson announced a controversial stoppage.

Initially, many suspected that the stoppage had come too soon, as Verhoeven recovered from a ponderous knockdown in the 11th round.

The former kickboxer gave an incredible performance, exceeding most expectations, but was ultimately rejected after the bell sounded to end round 11.

It must be admitted that the referee had already made his decision and had every right to stop the fight at this point.

However, the nature of his decision was met with a backlash, with many arguing that Verhoeven should be given the chance to fight for his shield.

However, Dubois said he knows exactly what it’s like to be on the verge of stopping Usyk Boxing King’s Media that there is no problem with the result.

“It was good. I think Usyk did what he had to do. It was a good win. I think [the stoppage] “He was right.”

Later talking to DiscussionSPORTThe Briton was asked whether he thought the performance showed that his former rival was past his prime.

“Maybe. I think so. He looked like he was struggling a little. But he won.”

Dubois was first stopped by Usyk in 2023 after the ninth round their rematch in July 2025 ended in a more decisive fifth-round knockout.

Dubois has since gone on to dethrone Fabio Wardley, and their brutal fight last month earned him an 11th round stoppage to claim the WBO heavyweight title.

Hearn said the confidence behind the scenes was much more aggressive than the respectful tone Prengi’s team showed in public.

“They always told me: cancel the Fury fight. Cancel the Fury fight. I told them they are respectful people. They come and say, ‘We come with nothing but respect.’ I said, ‘No, no, don’t come with respect.’ Come with beef. If you believe in it, tell us. Don’t go to the press and say, “Oh, I really respect what AJ accomplished.” Tell us, cancel the fight with Tyson Fury or I will knock you out and ruin the biggest fight in British boxing history.

Joshua returns to the Jeddah Superdome on July 25 after a long break due to injury and a car accident. A fight with Fury is expected later this year if both men take care of their business first.

Prenga has never fought anyone close to Joshua’s level, but Joshua goes into the fight with more questions than answers. He is coming off a earnest car accident and has not fought a top heavyweight since his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in 2024.

Hearn suggested that Prengi’s camp truly believes Joshua is vulnerable in the face of his return.

“A lot of people look at the AJ fight and get a false belief. I believe he thinks he can win, but they get it into their heads that AJ is not the fighter he was, especially after the break, the injury and the accident. These guys really believe they can get back into the fight.”

The Matchroom chairman also revealed the level of intensity he sees from Joshua ahead of the fight, insisting there is no danger of his fighter overlooking Prenga because of the attention surrounding Fury.

“AJ will go into this fight with the mentality of tearing him apart, punishing him completely and crushing him to a pulp on July 25. There is no amiable encounter. I have never seen AJ come into a fight with such aggression.”

The fight with Fury remains the highlight of the heavyweight calendar, but Prenga’s team is openly talking as if it never happened.

Prengi’s camp may be vastly overestimating their chances. What stands out is that they feel comfortable saying that a fight with the Fury may never happen. Just a few years ago, no one would have dared to do this.

Two-time world heavyweight title challenger Luis Ortiz returned to the ring last night and scored an impressive knockout victory, sending his opponent into the ring and under the ropes.

Former WBA interim champion, Cuban Ortiz fought Deontay Wilder twice for the WBC heavyweight world title in 2018 and 2019 in two hard-fought fights that ultimately ended ended in a knockout defeat for “King Kong”.

However, at the age of 47, Ortiz hopes to secure another fight among the heavyweight elite, having boxed since his 2022 decision loss to former unified champion Andy Ruiz.

Since then, Ortiz has racked up consecutive first-round KO victories, and yesterday he made his “Team Boxing League” debut, representing Miami in a team competition that featured 27 one-round fights between fighters from “The Sunshine State” and Nashville.

There, the bleached-blond Ortiz faced Stephon Moss, whom he easily defeated before a straight left hand sent the 36-year-old newcomer across the ring. falling to the canvas under the ropes, just inches away from falling to the floor, as shown in the clip Team Boxing League.

This KO power still scares King Kong Ortiz.#tbl #fight #box #season4 pic.twitter.com/gjfJPmvM65

— Team Boxing League (@tblboxing) June 1, 2026

The defeat marked the seventh straight “TBL” loss for the undefeated Moss, who had never been stopped within one round until he was tasked with Ortiz.

Overall, Miami Assassin’s defeated Nashville Smash on the night by a score of 18-9. This gave Miami a five-win, one-loss season, while Nashville dropped to a 1-4 record in the fourth season of “TBL.”