Dubois scornful of Usyk's 'boring' mind games

Daniel Dubois has warned Oleksandr Usyk that none of the mind games will matter when they step into the ring for their heavyweight title unification contest and suggested the Ukrainian would simply not be able to "handle the pain" when they meet at Wembley on 19 July.

- Donald McRae

Dubois and Usyk presented a compelling study in contrast as, in separate conversations to officially launch the fight, the two men echoed the differences between them that had already been made plain 24 hours earlier.

During a face-off on the Wembley pitch on Monday afternoon, the normally mild-mannered Dubois had shoved Usyk, who responded, after his initial surprise, by bursting into laughter. Dubois, the IBF champion, shook his head when asked if his actions had been premeditated. "No, it was just one of them things," he said.

"If you get angry or something, it just happens in boxing. I want to put my hands on him properly on the 19th and show everyone."

Dubois said that when Usyk laughed "I didn't expect that from him. But you know the Ukrainians - they do all this mind work and mind control stuff. But I just need to be right, physically and spiritually, and that will be enough on the night."