LONDON, England — Heavyweight great Lennox Lewis has told Daniel Dubois a fast start is crucial if he wants to record one of the best wins in British boxing history by beating Oleksandr Usyk.

IBF champion Dubois will get the chance to become this country’s first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lewis did it in 1999 by beating Evander Holyfield.

However, Triple-D will have to go through The Ring's pound-for-pound No. 1 and two-weight undisputed champion Usyk at Wembley to claim all the belts.

The undefeated Ukrainian has already stopped Dubois once and he is a wide favourite to win again nearly two years on from their initial encounter.

Of course, Team Dubois insist the London puncher has changed since that night in Wroclaw, Poland, and his trainer Don Charles has spoken of destiny and the universe being at play in the rematch.

But for Lewis, now 59, it is far more simple than that.

“The fight is won on work,” the 6ft 5in legend said in the hotel adjacent to Wembley Stadium on Friday.

“You've got to do the work. Seeing Tyson Fury in his last fight against Usyk, it was a little disappointing for me because I didn't think he did enough work to win. He was more doing the work to survive.

“In Daniel's fight with Usyk, he's got to work to win the fight. It's basically all down to the rounds. You can't allow Usyk to dance around and do the same thing he did last time. Daniel has to do the work, win the rounds and a knockout is the cherry on the top.

“Oleksandr Usyk has a very high ring IQ, but he's not a natural heavyweight, he's a built-up heavyweight. Daniel is a natural heavyweight and he can use that to his advantage, especially in the opening few rounds, and push Usyk to the ropes.

“I used to call Usyk a rabbit because he jumps around but you can't allow him to do that. He needs to put pressure on with his feet, push him back to the ropes and make sure he is first and last with his combinations.

“It's going to be electric. They've got to get going early. Daniel can't allow Usyk to be jumping around the ring or win those first few rounds. He's got to push from the get-go.”

Apart from the infamous fifth-round flash point, when Usyk was dropped heavily by what was deemed a low blow by referee Luis Pabon, it was pretty much one-way traffic in their first fight. The scorecards at the time of the stoppage in the ninth, which read 78-73 and 79-72 twice, were evidence of that.

Now Lewis has urged his compatriot not to attempt to outbox the boxer but simply use his size advantage to bully the smaller man.

He added: “Trying to box a good boxer isn't a good idea. If you can't out box Usyk, you've got to outpunch him.

“You're a big heavyweight. You've got to box like a big heavyweight. You've got to command the ring. You've got to push the little guys up against the ropes, where they can't run around, move and take advantage.”

Lewis is widely considered the best British heavyweight of all time and that victory over Holyfield in their rematch is perhaps the most significant win by any big man from these shores in history

So the east London-born icon, who retired in 2003 at 41-2- with 32 KOs, is well-placed to discuss where Saturday night’s encounter, and both participants, sit in the wider historical context.

First, Usyk. The undefeated Ukrainian who has won undisputed titles at cruiserweight and heavyweight. “He's definitely in the same room as Muhammad Ali, me and all the great fighters,” Lewis said, when asked where he might rank on the all-time list.

And what about Dubois? Britain has played host to some huge wins by home fighters against great visitors. In 1951, across London at Earl’s Court, Randolph Turpin famously beat Sugar Ray Robinson, while more recently Ricky Hatton’s 2005 victory over Kostya Tszyu in Manchester is also revered.

“If Dubois beats Usyk at Wembley in front of 90,000 people,” Lewis says, "it would stand pretty high in the list of great wins by a British boxer. Maybe not the best ever, but right up there with the others.”