Daniel Dubois vs Anthony Joshua set to be announced today
Undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has notified the world that he will be vacating his IBF World title in order for Britons Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua to challenge for it on September 21, at Wembley Stadium in London.
Usyk shared a video post on X with this message about his IBF belt to his former victims: “Anthony and Daniel, listen, I know, I be a fighter of important to you, tell it my present to you on September 21.”
A major press conference is being held in London today, June 26, to officially announce the mega-fight.
The IBF released the following statement to confirm the news: “On Tuesday, June 25, 2024, IBF President Daryl Peoples received notification that Oleksandr Usyk was relinquishing his IBF World Heavyweight Title. Usyk conveyed his gratitude to the IBF, especially for having the opportunity to become the Undisputed Champion in two weight divisions. The IBF was honoured to have Oleksandr Usyk as its champion and wishes him continued success.
“Daniel Dubois, former IBF Interim World Heavyweight Champion, was sent notice on June 26 that he is recognized as the organization’s World Heavyweight Champion effective immediately. The IBF has received the request for Dubois’ first defence of the Heavyweight title to be against Anthony Joshua.”
It’s North London vs South London on September 21, which is ironically the International Day of Peace, but for two heavyweights, it’s war!
Dubois told Boxing News, “It’ll be a great fight. Two British heavyweights… it’s huge, just huge.”
Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25KO) lost back to back bouts with Usyk in 2021 and 2022, but has since put together four wins on the spin to be ranked WBC #1, WBA #2, IBF #3 (top rated), WBO #1, IBO #2.
After a points win over durable American Jermaine Franklin, AJ got back to his explosive self with knockouts over Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou, after teaming up with Tyson Fury’s old trainer, Ben Davison.
Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20KO) has also bounced back strongly since defeat to Usyk in August last year, starting with an impressive stoppage win over the 333lbs drug cheat Jarrell Miller, where he had to fight through immense difficulty in order to emerge victorious.
Then, an even bigger win came in his last fight, in June, where he, again, took a lot of punishment but was able to fight through the adversity to stop unbeaten Croatian Filip Hrgovic in the eighth round to collect the IBF Interim title.
Dubois is still only 26-years-old but has a very storied career already. After reaching 15-0 and bulldozing his way through everyone – 14 KOs, 10 of which within the first two rounds.
But then a meeting with 11-0 Joe Joyce brought his expeditious ascension to an immediate halt, stopped in the 10th round of a very even contest, but for a persistent ‘Juggernaut’ jab that broke the south Londoner’s left eye socket.
Following surgery, the Greenwich powerhouse was back in the ring only seven months on to score another couple of signature first and second round stoppages to land a WBA World Regular heavyweight title shot at the unbeaten champion, Trevor Bryan, in Miami in June 2022.
The Brit handled the American with relative ease (TKO 3) to become crowned a version of a world champion.
A defence to South African Kevin Lerena followed, which saw the defending champ worryingly floored three times in the opener. A knee injury was causing ‘Dynamite’ problems but he was able to come back and stop the visitor in the third round after a dramatic turnaround.
Then Dubois got his shot at the ‘King’, but the now two-weight undisputed champion, Usyk, jabbed Dubois’ head off to stop the wounded 6ft 5in giant in the ninth.
But again, the ‘Cinderella Man’ bounced back to secure TKO victories over Miller and Hrgovic to land the biggest fight of his seven-year pro career.
Dubois first came to prominence even before he turned pro after rumours circulated that he had dropped the Olympic heavyweight champion in sparring when AJ was a world champion on a meteoric rise.
Now, the fellow countrymen and former sparring partners will put all that aside and do battle for the IBF World heavyweight title on the same day in history that Michael Spinks upset and dethroned Larry Holmes in 1985 to become the IBF and Ring Magazine champion.
Joshua is already favourite to become a three-time word champion, with Dubois currently a 7/2 underdog, but history seemingly favours the upset.