WBA Rules on Dubois’ Appeal to Overturn Result of KO Loss to Usyk
In early September, Daniel Dubois requested that the WBA reverse his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk and deem it a no-contest with an immediate rematch. Dubois missed out on the opportunity to become the unified heavyweight champion of the world after his body shot in the fifth round was declared a low blow. As a result, Usyk composed himself for over three minutes to then establish his dominance. He dropped Dubois in the eighth round and stopped him a round later. The boxing public were divided over the nature of the low blow, which prompted Frank Warren and Dubois to appeal the result on behalf of his fighter.
Breaking: In its official resolution issued today, the WBA denied the the appeal by Daniel Dubois/Frank Warren to overturn the result of Usyk’s KO win that followed what they claim was a legal body punch & not the low blow ruled by the referee. #boxing
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) October 12, 2023
Reports have confirmed that the WBA has ruled against an appeal filed by Queensberry Promotions. An independent panel reviewed the fight to determine if there was any wrongdoing on the part of referee Luis Pabon and ultimately voted to uphold the result of their August 26 heavyweight title fight.
“After careful review of the appeal, the reply, all documents, and evidence presented by both the appellant and respondent, the report of the supervisor, and the report of the International Officials Committee, the Championships Committee has determined that the appellant has not met his burden of proof in having the Committee set aside the result of the Usyk-Dubois bout,” WBA Championship Committee chairman Carlos Chavez noted in the official ruling, a copy of which was obtained by Boxing Scene. “Therefore, the bout decision will not be set aside.”
Usyk’s team acknowledged receipt of the appeal on September 12 and formally replied on September 18. It was then questioned why Dubois and Queensberry Promotions opted to file an appeal with the WBA rather than the local commission who would have proper jurisdiction over such a matter. Unfortunately for Dubois, due process has run its course and Usyk’s 9th round KO lives on.