One of the most highly anticipated heavyweight rematches now has a set date of July 19 at Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom.
Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) will face IBF champion Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) in a rematch of their August 2023 fight, which saw Usyk stop Dubois in the ninth round. Since their first fight, Usyk would become the undisputed heavyweight champion and defend the titles against the same fighter, Tyson Fury. Dubois would go on a three-fight win strike, defeating Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, and Anthony Joshua.
Although Dubois would only earn the interim IBF title when he beat Hrgovic in June, Usyk would be forced to vacate the title, which later elevated Dubois to a full champion before his fight with Joshua. The same IBF was trying to block Usyk-Dubois 2 by inserting a mandatory defense against Derek Chisora, but Dubois’ team was able to work it out with the sanctioning body so that an undisputed title fight could be made. The WBO came out and told the IBF, not so fast, as they were next in the mandatory rotation, so Joseph Parker would be the next fighter to get a shot at the winner of Usyk-Dubois 2.
Here is the rest of the press release sent out by Queensberry Promotions earlier today.
“I’m grateful to God for the opportunity to once again fight for the undisputed championship,” said Oleksandr Usyk. “Thank you, Daniel, for taking care of my IBF belt — now I want it back.”
“This is the fight I wanted and demanded and now I get my chance for revenge against Oleksandr Usyk,” said Dubois. “I should have won the first fight and was denied by the judgement of the referee, so I will make no mistake this time around in front of my people at the national stadium in my home city. I am a superior and more dangerous fighter now and Usyk will find this out for himself on July 19. I would like to thank my promoter Frank for making this happen for me and I intend to repay him by becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.”
“I am thrilled to deliver this historic undisputed occasion for Daniel at Wembley Stadium,” said promoter Frank Warren. “It will be an honour to promote a sporting event of this magnitude and a privilege to bring over a champion of the stature of Oleksandr. I would like to thank Oleksandr and his team at Ready to Fight for their great cooperation in making this fight become a reality. I am certain that we will see the best of British both in and outside of the ring, from Daniel and the unrivalled fight fans who will pack out the biggest sporting venue in the country.”
“Both teams have done tremendous work to make this fight a reality. Even more work is waiting ahead, especially for Oleksandr and Daniel themselves. I’m confident no one will be left disappointed,” said Egis Klimas, Oleksandr Usyk’s manager.
“Thank you to Queensberry Promotions for the cooperation, as well as to Riyadh Season and DAZN for their support,” said Sergey Lapin, the CEO of Ready To Fight and Usyk’s team director. “This will not only be a great bout, but also a unique event in terms of entertainment. We are ready to deliver the Undisputed Resolution to all boxing fans worldwide.”
“We are delighted to add Usyk vs Dubois II to the DAZN calendar,” said Michael Ridout, EVP New Business, DAZN. “An already packed fight diary has just got bigger with such an era-defining fight at the home of English Football. Usyk, a nailed-on future Hall-of Famer, puts his legacy on the line against Dubois, a fighter who sees this as an opportunity to right a wrong. I personally cannot wait for this match-up and look forward to showing fans around the World in the build-up, and on fight night, why DAZN is the global home of boxing.”
Discover more from Fights Around The World
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
