Oleksandr Usyk has officially scheduled his next heavyweight title defense against Britain's Daniel Dubois for July 19 in London. The Ukrainian champion, who successfully retained his belts with a unanimous decision victory over Tyson Fury on December 21, will put all his titles on the line.
"After beating Fury, I'm ready to collect all the belts," Usyk reportedly stated after the announcement was made.
Currently, the 38-year-old Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) holds the WBA, WBO, WBC, and The Ring titles, while Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) possesses the IBF belt – the very title Usyk was forced to relinquish following his first victory against Fury.
The July clash represents a rematch of their August 2023 encounter, which ended with Usyk scoring a technical knockout in the ninth round. That fight wasn't without controversy, as the British boxer landed a questionable low blow during the bout.
Interestingly, Dubois was scheduled to face New Zealand's Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) on February 22 but withdrew citing illness. The British fighter made quite an entrance following Usyk's victory over Fury, climbing into the ring to demand a rematch – behavior some have already labeled as madness.
Usyk appears to be methodically planning the final chapter of his career. The champion has confirmed he intends to retire after just two more fights. Will the July showdown in London be his penultimate professional appearance? The boxing world will be watching.
