Oleksandr Usyk says Daniel Dubois showed “weakness” by pushing him during their face-off as they promoted their rematch to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion at London’s Wembley Stadium on 19 July.
Briton Dubois is the IBF champion, with Ukraine’s Usyk holding the WBA (Super), WBO and WBC belts.
Usyk is undefeated in 23 fights and beat Dubois, 27, via a ninth-round stoppage in August 2023.
A day after their fight was confirmed, the pair posed for pictures on the pitch at Wembley on Monday when Dubois shoved 38-year-old Usyk in the chest.
Security stepped in between the pair before Usyk turned away and began laughing.
When asked if Dubois had improved since their last fight two years ago, Usyk told BBC Sport: “I think he has, Daniel wins the IBF belt, has beaten three good fighters. He is a world champion, a hard man, a dangerous man.”
Asked if the Englishman had changed mentally, Usyk replied: “Mentally no, push is a weakness.”
Explaining why he pushed Usyk, Dubois said: “It’s a new me, the fear of acting in a particular way is not there any more, now I need to just do what I need to do, this is the fight game, this is boxing.”
There was controversy the last time they fought when Usyk was floored in the fifth round but the punch was declared a low blow by the referee.
Promoter Frank Warren lost an appeal to the WBA for Dubois’ loss to Usyk to be ruled a no contest and that a rematch be ordered.
Dubois said Usyk caused him “a lot of pain and frustration” but it “helped me to reach even further”
He added: “It will feel even better when it’s done, when I have knocked him out and won. Put the demons to bed and put right what went wrong.”