A delay to Oleksandr Usyk’s next title defense could see a future heavyweight semi-final tournament split ahead of agreements for several bouts.
It had been proposed to Middle Eastern investors that Tyson Fury vs Usyk and Deontay Wilder vs Anthony Joshua could occur on the same night.
However, the December showpiece event is now in doubt as Usyk’s mandatory clash and Fury’s next WBC heavyweight title defense are off until at least the mid-to-late summer.
WBA chiefs moved to explain what’s happening with Usyk’s battle with number one contender Daniel Dubois.
Heavyweight purse bids
The World Boxing Association (WBA) ordered the called the Purse bid between heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and his mandatory challenger [regular champion] Daniel Dubois. The bids will take place on May 25 in Houston, Texas.
The bout is part of the pioneering body’s World Championship Reduction Plan. The blueprint pits the super champion against the champion to define a single monarch in the category.
The Championships Committee communicated all the bidding details to the parties this Monday, May 15. The minimum amount to obtain the rights to the fight will be 1,000,000.00. The distribution will be 75% for Usyk and 25% for Dubois.
The fight between Usyk and Dubois had been ordered since last December 12. Still, in the process, a period was granted for Usyk to negotiate the unification fight with Tyson Fury.
However, that fight could not be agreed upon due to team differences.
Dubois suffered the knee injury in his most recent fight on December 3 against Kevin Lerena. Despite winning the fight, he left the bout injured and found walking difficult.
The WBA sent a request for a health report to Dubois and his team, which was received on March 30. The report is signed by London-based physician James Witthicase.
It states Dubois is ready to do any physical activity, run, carry weight, and feels no pain in his knee.
The deadline to negotiate expired last May 2, so the committee sent the fight to purse bids under all the body statutes.
Delay
This means Usyk vs Dubois may not happen until late July or August. This leaves Usyk doubtful for a December showdown with Fury.
For his part, Fury is also looking at a summer date for his next clash. It comes after Andy Ruiz Jr. [legal reasons] and Zhilei Zhang [rematch order] were ruled out as potential challengers.
“The Gypsy King” remains on the hunt for a new foe after Joe Joyce exercised a return clause with Zhang after losing his last bout.
Fury is forced to look further down the rankings for another knock over after his easy win over Derek Chisora.
World Boxing News reported that Wilder was a consideration for a fourth fight. That scenario remains possible if Wilder fails to agree terms with Joshua.
