As World Boxing News first stated in the days after his victory over Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk will remain undisputed heavyweight champion.
WBN gave two reasons at the time, one of which has since come to fruition. Usyk requested an exception to keep his red belt following a decision triumph against Fury due to his opponent delaying the fight for six months. International Boxing Federation chiefs looked favorably on Usyk as Fury’s continued postponement of the fight wasn’t under the Ukrainian’s control. Usyk could now get a six-month reprieve, the same amount of time Fury pushed back their contest from an original date of December 23, 2023, to May 18, 2024. This scenario means a second Usyk vs Fury fight will be for all the marbles this December.
Usyk will have to negotiate with the winner of Hrgovic vs Dubois by the start of January, WBN understands. But, the IBF will likely make the title vacant if there’s any further delay – as in Fury or Usyk postponing the rematch. The situation is currently on a knife edge.
For now, Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois will battle it out to be the first in line when Usyk finally makes a mandatory defense of his championship. Hrgovic and Dubois face off tomorrow night as part of the 5 vs 5 event in Saudi Arabia. Whoever comes out on top knows they will get a shot at the undisputed title in the first half of 2025.
Whether His Excellency, the Saudi Chairman Turki Alalshikh, had anything to do with Usyk keeping his title when speculation was rife that the IBF would strip him is yet to be confirmed.
But following an epic clash earlier this month, both Usyk and Fury deserve to have another shot at the undisputed title, keeping the straps together.
Instead of fighting for just one title, Hrgovic or Dubois will get to fight for all four.
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.
