Undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has confirmed he will vacate his IBF title to fight Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua in September The path was cleared to compete for the title.
The Ukrainian became the first heavyweight to hold the IBF, WBO, WBA and WBC belts when he defeated Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia last month, but only five weeks after becoming undisputed champion , he was forced to give up one of his gold belts.
As Usyk now has a rematch contract with Fury, he is unable to defend his IBF title against Dubois, the interim champion and mandatory after defeating Filip Hrgovic in Riyadh earlier this month. Sexually challenged.
This means Dubois’ expected fight against Joshua at Wembley Stadium on September 21 is now likely to be a world title fight. In a video posted on social media, Usyk said relinquishing the IBF title was “my gift to these two British boxers.”
“Anthony and Daniel, listen. I know the IBF title means a lot to you. This is my gift to you on September 21st,” Usyk said in a video on Instagram, captioned : “The world loves being strong. Your friend, the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Oleksandr Usyk.
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The 37-year-old has reportedly asked to keep his IBF belt until December in order to rematch Fury for the undisputed title. However, IBF rules meant that Usyk would be stripped of the belt unless he fought Dubois first, so he decided to relinquish it.
On May 18, Usyk defeated Fury in a split decision in Saudi Arabia, completing a quartet of world titles and adding his opponent’s WBC gold belt to the WBA, IBF and WBO titles. He captured all three titles from Joshua in September 2021 in a stunning victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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In August 2022, Usyk defeated Joshua by split decision in Jeddah. The defending champion Usyk fought Dubois in Wroclaw last year and won by knockout in the ninth round. The first unification fight with Fury.
Since losing to Usyk in Poland, Dubois has defeated Jarrell Miller and Hrgovic, both by knockout. Joshua defeated Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Walling last year and defeated Francis Ngannou over two rounds in Riyadh in March.
