LONDON: Oleksandr Usyk cemented his status as the outstanding heavyweight of his generation with an emphatic fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois in their undisputed world title bout at London`s Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Victory saw Ukraine`s Usyk extend his unbeaten professional record to 24 fights as the WBA, WBC and WBO champion added his British opponent`s IBF belt to his collection.

Usyk, now a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion and three times in all after previously mastering the cruiserweight division dominated the opening four rounds.

And early in the fifth he dropped Dubois to the canvas.

Moments later he finished the fight in decisive fashion after a trademark left hook left his British rival unable to beat the count one minute and 52 seconds into the round.

It was the second time Usyk, at 38 some 11 years older than his opponent, had defeated Dubois following a ninth-round stoppage success in Krakow, Poland, in 2023, where the Briton was ruled to have landed an illegal low blow in the fifth round.

Lennox Lewis, the last British boxer to be undisputed world cham-pion in 1999, forecast before Saturday`s fight that Usyk would face a vastly-improved Dubois, saying: `Dubois was a baby in the sport and now he`s a man...You`re not going to see the same Daniel Dubois from 18 months ago.

But after Usyk was roared into the ring by a huge contingent of supporters, many of them waving Ukraine national flags in a 90,000 capacity crowd at Wembley, best known as the London base of England`s national football team, it was largely one-way traffic as their hero conducted a ruthless masterclass against local favourite Dubois.

`38 is a young guy, remember! `Usyk told DAZN in the ring after dropping to his knees in celebration.

`38 is only start! I want to say thank you to my team and Wembley, thank you so much! It`s for the people.

`Nothing is next. It`s enough, next, I don`t know. I want to rest. My family, my wife, my children, I want to rest now. Two or three months, I want to just rest.

Asked about his next opponent Usyk, who has already twice beaten former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, added: `Maybe it`s Tyson Fury. Maybe we have three choices,Derek Chisora and Anthony Joshua.

Maybe Joseph Parker.

`Listen, I cannot now say because I want to go back home.

Aslced how he was able to continue competing with such drive at the age of 38, Usyk told reporters: `I don`t have motivation, I have discipline.

`Motivation is temporary, today you have it, tomorrow you wake up early and you don`t have it. When I wake up early morning for training, I never have motivation, I only have discipline. Only amateur sportsmen need motivation. Motivation is good, but discipline is better.

Dubois insisted he would return to the ring, saying: `I have to commend him (Usyk) on the performance, I gave everything I had. Take no credit away from that man, I`ll be back.

His trainer, Don Charles, added: `We tried to get going, Dubois is a young champion...He will be back stronger. If you`re going to lose, lose to someone like Usyk.

And promoter Frank Warren, a veteran of the British boxing scene, said: `Usyk is a modern-day legend. In any generation he would be a great fighter. No complaints, the better man won on the night. It`s Joe Parker`s time.`-Agencies