INTERVIEW: Tony Bellew criticises Daniel Dubois’ father after defeat to Oleksandr Usyk

In an exclusive interview with Esports Insider, Tony Bellew weighed in on Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over Daniel Dubois, whilst criticising the latter’s father amid the ‘party’ that went on during the day of the fight. He also says Usyk would have found a way to beat a prime Mike Tyson. 

Moreover, the former WBC cruiserweight champion discusses what video games he plays and his experience being a part of Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions.

Tony Bellew: I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest fan, but I do get involved from time to time, mainly when my kids are playing and ask me to pick up a controller.

I was actually involved in the creation of a boxing game called Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions a few years ago, and that is a really good game. You can fight as all the different characters from the Rocky movie franchise. You can play as Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang and Rocky Balboa himself, of course. It’s great fun.

‘Creed Champions’ came out about four years back and to be honest it was the first game I got hooked on since the ‘Knockout Kings’ titles which were released by EA Sports in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Knockout Kings was just amazing back in the day.

I am a huge golf obsessive, so of course I also love playing Tiger Woods Golf. Playing the games is a nice way to relax after playing the real thing, which tends to be a frustrating experience even at the best of times! My aim is to become a single handicapper one day, but we’ll see about that.

Tony Bellew: Oleksandr Usyk figured Daniel Dubois out and stopped him, and he just did it a little bit quicker than I thought. I said, anywhere between rounds eight and 10. And he does it in the fifth….. Like I said before, Daniel Dubois is a confidence fighter. When he gets confidence and he starts pressing forward, the confidence builds and his momentum builds. He [Usyk] stifled it that first round with a hard, heavy jab.

And from the outside looking in, it just looked like it was only a matter of time till Daniel Dubois was going to say, ‘I’ve had enough.’ 

He was landing heavy shots after heavy shots. It just took away all the confidence from Dubois. It was sad, because I just worry about Daniel because I think to myself, as fighters, the thing that you need most is heart. And he’s displayed that on a couple of occasions, against Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic. But then he’s also displayed that he doesn’t have the heart of a fighter at certain times in fights, and I think on Saturday night, there’s another question there if I’m being totally honest.

He chooses to stay down and then he gets up and walks back to the corner when the referee finishes his count. I think Michael Griffin’s the best referee in the world. But I did think the count was a bit quick, I’m not going to lie. I still don’t think he would have got up though. He lied there looking at the referee do the count, instead of attempting to get up. Then when he finished the count, he got up and just walked off his corner with his head down. It was a strange one.

I feel for Daniel Dubois because does Daniel Dubois want to fight? Does Daniel Dubois enjoy fighting? Like, I love fighting. I miss it every single day. I loved fighting. It was the greatest buzz in the world. I felt free when I was fighting. I felt at peace. When I was fighting, I felt in control. Fighting was my passion and I absolutely loved it. I’d do it every single day if I could till the day I die. And when I look at Daniel Dubois in the boxing ring, I don’t see that same feeling. I get the sense that he lives and breathes it in camp, trains really hard and he’s an absolute specimen. He’s a machine. I get that. But I just think when the going gets tough, his mental fortitude is questionable. That’s the only way I can put it. 

What is his Dad doing, having any kind of influence in a boxing corner? He’s your father. I get you to look up to your Dad. Your dad’s your hero. My dad was my hero. And my dad was the first person to take me to a boxing gym. But understand, I would not be training for 12 weeks or 14 weeks and then they called us in my corner, and my dad pops his head in the corner, starts giving instructions, and I’m looking at him during the fight. That is not how boxing goes.

There is a coach that is there and employed for a reason to give you instructions and not your father.

Don’s a fantastic coach. I think the world of Don Charles, he’s done a great job with multiple fighters, on numerous occasions. Don’s a great coach. Everything you need is in that corner. Don Charles has been there, seen it, done it, got the t-shirt. You have no reason to be looking to your father. You do not need your father’s approval for anything. You are a grown man. If you think it’s good enough, that’s all that matters. I feel for Daniel Dubois, I think he’s a really good fighter. I think his sister’s an amazing fighter. Brilliant fighter. They’re a really talented, athletically, talented family. I’d say Caroline is a fantastic fighter, technically brilliant. Very good. As for Daniel, I just worry about him going forward because fighters who study while watching know. If I get you past three or four rounds and keep putting dents in you. It’s only a matter of time. Now don’t get me wrong. Usyk showed that and Joe Joyce showed that. But I’m not sure where he goes now.

I didn’t think he’d beat Joseph Parker though. Joseph Parker would beat him, and I think it was very adept the way that fight wasn’t put back on. Because it was very wrong. Because if anyone, there’s no one more deserving than Joseph Parker. And in my opinion, that included Daniel Dubois. Joseph Parker was the man who went in there with Zhilei Zhang, went in there with Deontay Wilder time and time again, and was thrown to the wolves. Suffered defeat and came back time and time again. He’s like a whole new fighter under the tutelage of Andy Lee.

Tony Bellew: I don’t think he [Usyk] liked him. It’s very clear that Usyk doesn’t like people like that. You can’t not like the guy. He goes about his business, and he’s very gracious to the opponent he faces. I just don’t think he appreciated Daniel Dubois stepping on his toes after that second Fury fight, jumping in the ring, giving it the big gun, claiming that it was a legitimate shot when it clearly wasn’t.

I mean, anyone who understands and knows boxing knows that’s not a legitimate shot. It’s quite simple. He hits the protector. You’d rather get hit literally in the down below section rather than just above it, right? Because when you get hit on the protector just above the below section, it lifts everything up. So it’s like getting hit with a bat underneath. It’s not nice and that’s what Usyk went through. I even still think to this day some referees might have judged that as a legit shock. Because some referees don’t mind hitting the protector. If he does, everyone knows without a shadow of a doubt, Oleksandr Usyk is not staying down. He’s getting back up. He plays the part. He does what he needs to do every single time and on Saturday night, he shone and he shone brightly. 

Tony Bellew: Well, his technical abilities don’t improve. What’s improved is his muscle mass and the way he’s gone about creeping up slowly to the heavyweight division.

He’s done it all the time. His hand speed isn’t as quick as it was when he was at cruiserweight, but his feet are still as mobile and as good. They’re just not as quick. But you don’t need to be as quick because the guys he’s fighting aren’t quicker. If you watch him and study him still, he adapts fight by fight. So you look at when he gets in the ring against Daniel Dubois, he’s a lot heavier than he is when he faces Tyson Fury. He knows Tyson Fury’s feet are far better than Daniel Dubois. He moves fluidly, Tyson Fury moves like a cruiserweight. So Usyk came in at a weight where he can move like a cruiserweight again.

He’s still got that 10 kilos extra weight. But he moves differently. And the way he moved against Tyson Fury in the rematch, the way he moved against Daniel Dubois, there was a clear and significant difference. And if anyone knows boxing, studies it, and watches it, you can see the slight adjustments he makes. Sitting down on the shots more, look to really punish you. He punishes your mistakes. 

He punished Daniel Dubois to maximum effect when he made Daniel Dubois’ right hand miss. Daniel goes down and it’s a heavy knockdown. It is a heavy knockdown from the left. The first one’s nothing. Daniel chose to go down off the first one. The first one’s basically a jab again. And he goes down and you can see his mind’s ticking when he gets up and his mind’s ticking. The second one’s a heavier shot, but his senses are around him by the count three, and he’s looking at the ref and it’s at that moment where you think, ‘it’s fight or flight’. I don’t want to do Daniel any disservice, but I just think if he’s in that fight and he’s rounding shots. I think Daniel gets up. He showed that against Kevin Lerena that he can be wobbled and rocked against the likes of Filip Hrgovic and Jarrell Miller. He’s shown against AJ, when he’s on top and he’s hitting you, AJ hits him with an absolute monster of a right hand in the round he stops AJ in, and like I said to you, he’s purely a confidence fighter. He’s a flat shot bully.

Tony Bellew: He knew what was coming. He can’t gauge the distance. He can’t gauge the tempo of Usyk’s attacks. He’s just lost. And this is the thing, now there’s very few heavyweights in the world who can do that to him. Another one who could do it is Moses Itauma, Tyson Fury.

Tony Bellew: I think that’s a terrible fight for Moses Itauma. Well, he’s not been past six rounds or seven rounds. I just think to throw a kid that young to the wolves at this stage of his career, I don’t get why anyone would want to do that?

He’s a young man, let him develop the same as every other fighter learning his trade. This is one man’s opinion. I think Turki Al-Sheikh has been brilliant for boxing, I really do think he’s revitalised the game. He’s reinvigorated the game, but one man can never control boxing. That’s not my opinion. That’s a fact.

Tony Bellew: He went through us all in the cruiserweight division, me included. He’s a phenomenon. He’s a unicorn. You won’t see the likes of him again. It’s not that he’s getting better, it’s just that he adapts each time.

I don’t think you’ll ever see a better pure out-and-out boxing display than the one put in against Murat Gassiev in Russia. That was the pure art of boxing, hit and do not get hit. I had to study that fight before I faced him and you could not find any flaws in that performance. He’s a freak. And this is against Murat Gassiev, who was probably the most destructive cruiserweight in the world at the time. The most dangerous cruiserweight in the world at the time and he just took him apart.

Tony Bellew: Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali. 100%.

That style, that elusiveness, that speed. He’s not as quick as Muhammad Ali at heavyweight.

ESI: Don’t they fight at similar weights?

Yeah. He’s actually heavier than Muhammad Ali. He’s quite a bit heavier now. There’s never been a heavyweight with hand speed like Muhammad Ali ever. Mike Tyson in his prime. He was vicious and ruthless, but I think he does to Mike Tyson what he did to Murat Gassiev.

I think he just stays away and he just stays away. He’s so smart now. He knows how to tie people up. He knows how to lock people down on the inside. He knows how to use a clinching grip. He’s adapted and learnt all these little strategies, fight by fight. He learned an awful lot in the Anthony Joshua fight when he gets clipped a couple of times. We’ve seen him hurt, we’ve seen him hurt by AJ. We’ve seen him hurt by Tyson Fury. We’ve seen he can outbreak and ride out the moments. He figures it out. He’s so fit and he’s so agile and so elusive. He just figures it out. 

Tony Bellew: I sat down with him and had a chat with him before the Dubois fight and yet he was just like, I’ve got two fights left.

Tony Bellew: I would imagine so, but with what’s going on in this country. which is a disgrace that it’s still going on. Yeah that’s not going to happen anytime. I would love to see peace in his country and for him and his family, and that will be an amazing event.

Tony Bellew: We’re talking about the same kind of thing as Junior Witter vs Ricky Hatton all over again. It’s the one we want to see. I think it’ll happen. I don’t know when, but I think it will happen. It’s just that they’re already both past their best in my opinion, but it’ll make an entertaining scrap. I’ve always thought Anthony Joshua would stop Tyson Fury, but I can’t keep making that statement now because you have to base it on your last performance.

And I just think that AJ’s last performance… I still can’t get my head around how Daniel Dubois beat him. He just came and just walked right through him, and I just think if AJ would’ve met Daniel head on, he’s better than every department. I think the biggest thing with Anthony Joshua is himself. If Anthony Joshua just comes out and lets his hands go, in my opinion, he’s the second-best heavyweight in the world. 

Tony Bellew: Now are we really going to call that a fight? It’s just a gross mismatch. Like you don’t understand how much his health is in jeopardy. So I’m not even entertaining it.

I just think it’s dangerous and listen, I might have to work on it, but it’s just insane. It’s nuts. This boy is putting money before his life, which is just absolutely insane. It’s all about money. Money and acclaim and fame. Because what good is money if you’re dead? People have died in 50-50 boxing matches, never mind 99 to 1% because that’s the chance he has – 1%.

Tony Bellew: Yeah. Decent exhibitions. 

I’ve seen Manny Pacquiao as well and a decent performance from him. It’s amazing to see how someone at that age can have a workout like he does. I don’t know how that’s possible, but it obviously is. Ricky’s a wealthy fighter, Ricky’s must be one of the richest fighters this country’s produced but Ricky’s not fighting for money. Ricky’s fighting because Ricky has ups and downs in his life and his lifestyle. Ricky gains massive amounts of weight. He goes up, goes down. I’m not telling you any secrets because it’s already well known. It’s good for him to have a fight to focus on.

It’s very different reasons why someone like Manny Pacquiao has come back. I probably think it is money because he’s given away so much to people in his country. He’s given so much to his country. So I can only think that it would be money. I’ve seen the man giving away thousands, hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Tony Bellew: Bam’s right up there. He suffers because he’s in the lighter weight divisions, as they always do and as they always have done. But Bam, for me, is an exceptional talent. Top five pound-for-pound in the world without a shadow of a doubt. I think he’s just exceptional. I have Usyk number one, Terrence Crawford at number two, Canelo at number three, Naoya Inoue at number four, and Bam number five.

Tony Bellew: Pat’s a strong boy with an awful lot of ability and talent. I like the fact that three fights in and he’s fighting eight-rounders. He’s at an age where he’s had so much experience internationally with Team GB that he doesn’t need to be taken slowly. He can be rushed.

So let him off the reins and let him go. Don’t get me wrong I’d still like to see him go down the traditional route. English, British, Commonwealth, European World… them fights. They put you in a better place when it comes to the big title fights. Because as I always say, and I’m saying this to all fighters, is once you go to a certain level, there’s no going back.

Tony Bellew: I’m not sure, but I said this straight away from the first place. He’s got to get back in the ring as soon as he can with Chris Eubank, Jr. The quick turnaround favours Conor Benn. It takes a long time to recover from a fight like that for someone Chris Bank Jr’s age. I don’t think the weights got anything to do with it. That’s his weight.

He’s always been middleweight. He’s not a big middleweight. He’s actually a really small middleweight.

So you think he was over overdramatizing how much he actually struggled?

Yeah. One hundred percent. I mean, he just made a mountain out of a molehill to make it worse. I know what absolutely crucifying myself and doing your body in is like, and I’ve also had the 10-pound weigh-in check the next day for the IBF when I fought for the belts, when I went to light heavyweight. So. It’s not nice, and I speak from experience, but he knows what he signed up for. And don’t forget you are asking a kid to move up not one weight, but two. You know it swings both ways, but listen, on the night it was an amazing performance by Chris Jr. No one can dispute that. He was a credible winner.