Daniel Dubois will defend the IBF heavyweight title after being elevated to full champion in the wake of Oleksandr Usyk’s gift.
Usyk gave Dubois the belt as a ‘present’ so the Briton could face Anthony Joshua with a championship on the line this September. Dubois will make the first defense of the red strap against Joshua on September 21 at Wembley Stadium.
Former World Boxing News journalist Dan Rafael made the confirmation ahead of a scheduled press conference in London today.
“Undisputed no more. Usyk vacates the IBF heavyweight title. Dubois elevated to full titlist ahead of [the] Joshua announcement,” said Rafael.
Dubois vs Joshua
‘DDD’ vs. ‘AJ’ will be made official by promoters Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn, who will work together again after the success of the 5 vs. 5 Tournament in Saudi Arabia on June 1. The British rivals had been estranged since Hearn entered the sport in 2009, as Warren had previously feuded with his father, Barry when he was the Matchroom Boxing figurehead.
Once Turki Alalshikh came along with his pots of gold, Warren and Hearn magically buried the hatchet and put their might into a Riyadh Season super-show at the National Stadium. The British event follows Alalshikh’s United States debut on August 3 in Los Angeles.
Terence Crawford tops the bill against Israil Madrimov for the unified super welterweight titles.
Joshua Buatsi vs. Willy Hutchinson will co-feature on Joshua vs. Dubois, with more Warren vs. Hearn bouts expected following a 10-0 drubbing for the older promoter against his younger rival.
Usyk’s heavyweight days numbered
Regarding Usyk’s next move, the Ukrainian will defend his remaining belts against Tyson Fury on December 21. However, other mandatory orders will follow as Zhilei Zhang, Mahmoud Charr, and the winner of Joshua vs Dubois wait in line.
Usyk’s decision to relinquish the IBF belt could also signal that he plans to retire after the Fury rematch, win, lose, or draw. Even if he remains in boxing, Usyk may decide to have one more fight at bridgerweight to become a three-weight king before walking away.
Whatever the case is, Usyk’s days as a heavyweight ruler look numbered.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
