Of course, to think like that is to presume the Ukrainian ages like the rest of us and is indeed human. Yet there was no indication of either of those things – him ageing, or him being human – in the presence of Dubois: younger, bigger, supposedly stronger. Early on, in fact, it was Usyk, not Dubois, who displayed the impatience of youth, notably in the form of a right jab which steadied Dubois inside 15 seconds. It wasn’t a power shot, no, but its surprise element summoned the impact of one and immediately Dubois was on his heels, guarded. He then started to panic a little when he was unable to respond to this first jab with anything heavier or meaningful of his own. There were swings, particularly of his right hand, but Usyk, the target, was forever on the move – his feet, his hips, his shoulders – and already finding it easy to make Dubois miss. With each miss, of course, Dubois tried only harder and doubted himself more. With each miss, Usyk grew in both confidence and size.
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