Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois undisputed title rematch reportedly targeted for July
Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois are targeting a July 12 rematch for the undisputed heavyweight title.
If finalized, the fight would take place at England's national stadium, Wembley Stadium in London, and see Dubois return to the site of his sensational upset win over Anthony Joshua in September.
Turki Alalshikh-owned Ring Magazine first reported the news.
Frank Warren, whose company Queensberry Promotions represents Dubois, told talkSPORT on Tuesday morning that no deal had been reached.
“There have been talks, but nothing is done yet," Warren said. "Nothing at the moment. Talking goes on, and I hope it comes true.”
Usyk, Uncrowned's No. 1 male pound-for-pound boxer, knocked out Dubois in the ninth round to retain his unified heavyweight title in Poland in August 2023. But the drama began long before Dubois sat out the count from a heavy Usyk jab.
In the fifth round, Dubois floored Usyk with a right hand that was controversially ruled as a low blow. Usyk was given several minutes to recover, much to the disappointment of Dubois and Warren, who unsuccessfully filed an official appeal with the WBA contesting the referee's decision.
Coup… Pas si bas ? 👀
L'arbitre a accordé 5 minutes à Usyk pour se remettre de ce coup considéré comme sous la ceinture #UsykDuboispic.twitter.com/tXHxQ9V7ju
— CANAL+ Sport (@CanalplusSport) August 26, 2023
Since that fight, Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) has impressively put together knockout wins over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Joshua in consecutive fights.
Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) defeated Tyson Fury in May 2024 to become boxing's first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era but was then forced to relinquish the IBF heavyweight title just a month later due to an outstanding mandatory commitment he could not fulfill because he was obligated to rematch Fury.
As a result, Dubois, the IBF interim heavyweight champion at the time, was elevated to full IBF titlist, while Usyk retained his WBA, WBC and WBO belts with a unanimous decision victory over Fury in the rematch in December. Dubois was supposed to defend his IBF belt against Joseph Parker in February, however he was forced to withdraw from the contest on fight week due to illness.
A Usyk win July 12 would see him become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion. If Dubois were to pull off the upset, he would become the first British undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
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