10 things we learned from Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois II

Saturday night was peculiar in terms of how allegiances were split. On the one hand, the 90,000 fans in attendance at Wembley Stadium felt a pull towards Daniel Dubois, the Brit, the Londoner, their home guy. Yet, on the other hand, many will have struggled to root against Oleksandr Usyk, someone so affable, and fun, and someone who earlier in the week expressed his love for the UK, even calling it his “second home”. In addition to his jovial personality, watching Usyk live and in person is viewed by many as a rare treat, not unlike watching Messi in the flesh or Federer and Nadal.  It’s why, when he boxes, you will seldom hear boos, or a bad word said about him. Even the cheers for his opponent will often be muted. Because that’s what genius does in the end. That’s the power of it. It somehow manages to rise above tribalism and serves to both confuse and divide patriots.