Usyk To Defend Titles Against Dubois

Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBO, WBA (Super) and IBF titles against Briton Daniel Dubois in Wroclaw, Poland on 26 August.

Ukrainian Usyk, 36, will face Dubois – the WBA mandatory challenger – at the 24,000-capacity Tarczynski Arena.

Dubois, 25, holds the WBA (Regular) belt and has won 19 fights, with 18 knockouts, and been defeated once.

“He is a great fighter and I do respect him, but it’s my time now,” Dubois said.

“I’m going to shock the world and show people how good Daniel Dubois really is.”

Pound-for-pound star Usyk has won all 20 professional fights and will make a second defence of his unified title.

“I am very glad that we have the opportunity to organise my fight in Poland, where I won my first world title seven years ago,” Usyk said.

According to BBC Sports, The fight, originally scheduled for 12 August, was pushed back by two weeks to more closely align with Ukraine’s Independence Day, which falls on 24 August.

YOU CAN ALSO READ:Murray Leads Tsitsipas But Stopped By Curfew

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, more than a million Ukrainian refugees relocated to Poland.

“I want to thank the Polish people who are helping Ukraine so sincerely,” Usyk added: “Hundreds of thousands of my compatriots have been hosted by this wonderful country.

“Therefore, I hope that my fight will become one more opportunity for Ukrainians and people of Poland to unite and strengthen our friendship.”

Usyk, a former undisputed cruiserweight champion, dethroned Briton Anthony Joshua at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September 2021, before winning the rematch in August 2022 in Saudi Arabia.

An undisputed fight between Usyk and Britain’s WBC world champion Tyson Fury was set to take place at London’s Wembley Stadium in April but fell through after disagreements over a rematch clause and purse split.