Oleksandr Usyk has officially declared his intention to defend his WBO, WBA, and IBF heavyweight titles against Daniel Dubois in Poland on August 26th.
The unified world champion revealed the specifics of his WBA mandatory title defense against the WBA ‘regular’ titleholder through a social media post on Thursday.
Usyk shared a fight poster that not only confirmed the bout with Dubois but also disclosed the venue as Tarczynski Arena, colloquially known as Wroclaw Stadium, which can accommodate 45,000 spectators.
Initially, it was expected that ‘DDD’ would have to wait for his opportunity as a historic four-belt undisputed clash between Usyk and Tyson at Wembley Stadium on April 29th was on the cards.
However, that bout fell through, prompting Oleksandr to fulfill his mandatory obligation as demanded by the WBA. After several months of negotiations, the fight with Dubois has now been made official.
Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury potential bout
Tyson Fury is anticipating a knockout victory over Oleksandr and plans to celebrate with a night of partying later this year.
Oleksandr Usyk will defend his IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA heavyweight titles when he takes on Daniel Dubois at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, on Aug. 26, he and Queensberry Promotions announced on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/gfEsJIC1Vq
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) July 6, 2023
Following his triumphant trilogy bout with Derek Chisora in December, Tyson has been inactive in the ring. In that contest, Fury secured yet another commanding win over ‘Del Boy,’ ultimately stopping him in the 10th round. After the fight, Fury engaged in a face-off with Oleksandr Usyk.
Initially, both fighters indicated that they had a potential match lined up for earlier this year. However, despite reaching mid-May, the fight remains far from confirmed. There have been several starts and stops, with the current target being a December showdown in Saudi Arabia.
Nevertheless, Tyson is confident that a bout with Oleksandr will come to fruition, and he expects to dominate. During a public speaking event over the weekend, the WBC Heavyweight Champion made a bold prediction.
He declared his intention to knock out ‘The Cat’ and then revel in a night of drinking to celebrate his victory.
Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois bout overview
The 25-year-old Daniel also provided a prediction in anticipation of his first legitimate world title fight, stating, “It’s my time now! I’m going to shock the world! Be ready, Oleksandr Usyk.”
Dubois earned the position of mandatory challenger for one of Usyk’s three titles after enduring three early knockdowns but ultimately securing a third-round stoppage victory over Kevin Lerena at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December.
In May, K2 Promotions, headed by Alex Krassyuk, won the purse bids for the match with an impressive bid of $8,057,000 (£6,523,431). While Queensberry Promotions, led by Frank Warren, put forward $5,620,050 (£4,549,262) on behalf of Dubois.
The purse split for the fight favors Usyk at 75/25 since he is the current champion. Consequently, Usyk is set to receive $6,042,750 (£4,891,425) unless he had previously agreed with his promoter Krassyuk to accept a lower sum in order to increase the bid and secure the purse.
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