Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois will fight each other for the second time, it has been confirmed, as they prepare to meet at Wembley Stadium this summer.
On 19 July, Usyk will put the unified heavyweight titles on the line against Dubois, who holds the IBF belt, meaning the winner will emerge as undisputed champion.
That is a status that Usyk, 38, secured last May, when he outpointed Tyson Fury in Riyadh. In fact, the Ukrainian became the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years, having also previously held undisputed gold at cruiserweight.
Usyk vacated the IBF belt shortly after his victory over Fury, meaning interim champion Dubois was elevated. Dubois, 27, then retained the official title by knocking out Anthony Joshua at Wembley in September.
Usyk, meanwhile, went on to box Fury again, winning via decision once more in December to retain the unified gold.
And the southpaw, an Olympic gold medalist, has the chance to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight king when he fights Dubois in July, two years after stopping the Briton.
In their first showdown, in Poland, Usyk climbed off the canvas after a low blow, later beating “Dynamite” via TKO. However, Dubois and his promoter Frank Warren appealed the result, with some observers believing that the illegal punch was a valid body shot.
The appeal failed, and Usyk remained unbeaten. He then secured his back-to-back wins over Fury, while Dubois bounced back with three straight stoppage victories – against Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Joshua.
Dubois was due to defend his title against Joseph Parker in February but withdrew on two days’ notice, citing illness. Parker instead fought Martin Bakole, knocking out the Congolese boxer in round two.
Parker then called for a fight with Usyk, which was soon ordered by the WBO, but undisputed bouts take precedence. As such, Usyk vs Dubois 2 is set to go ahead.
