Oleksandr Usyk wraps Ukraine’s flag around himself and his fists around Daniel Dubois | Barney Ronay

No boxer has ever represented his country to this degree: Usyk is a living embodiment of his nation's defiance of the Russian invasion

Perhaps the most striking part of the surge of controlled fury that ended this heavyweight title fight wasn't the short right or the clubbing left that took Daniel Dubois down midway through the fifth round.

It was Oleksandr Usyk's smile before the second of those shots. More of a snarl perhaps, or a baring of the gumshield, as Dubois let his arms drop, giving Usyk time to freeze the moment, load up, take aim and unleash a fully extended left hand to the side of the jaw that made Dubois crumple, legs folding under him as his father, Stan, threw in the towel.