Oleksandr Usyk is still a heavyweight champion of the world, but he nearly lost all his belts. Usyk's fight against Daniel Dubois on Saturday did not end without much controversy, particularly because of a highly questionable decision in the fifth round by referee Luis Pabon, who judged what could have likely been a knockout punch as a low blow.

Usyk was sent to the canvas wincing in pain when Dubois landed a punch right in the belt line of the Ukrainian but Pabon ruled it as an illegal punch that left the British with a point fewer.

Oleksandr Usyk was able to recover from Dubois's punch and win the fight eventually by scoring a knockout in the ninth inning.

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After the fight, promoter, Frank Warren did not hold back in expressing his frustration, especially over how Pabon handled the pivotal moment.

“Frank Warren on the body shot/low blow controversy in Daniel Dubois' defeat to Oleksandr Usyk: “He was cheated out of victory. It hit him on the waistband. The referee got it badly wrong, badly wrong. I like Usyk, but that was a complete hometown decision. He won that fight,'” tweeted Michael Benson of talkSPORT.

With his latest successful defense, Usyk has managed to retain his WBA, WBO, IBO, and IBF heavyweight belts. It remains to be seen who he will face in his next fight, but there's a chance that a massive collision with WBC champion Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia in 2024 appears is in the works.