Anthony Joshua looks set for the chance to become a three-time world heavyweight champion after receiving a welcome “present” from rival Oleksandr Usyk.
Reigning undisputed king Usyk confirmed on social media on Tuesday evening that he would now be vacating his IBF title, which should give Joshua and Daniel Dubois the opportunity to fight for the belt when they are expected to go head to head in a huge all-British showdown at Wembley Stadium on September 21.
Such a move means that Usyk’s reign as the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world since Lennox Lewis in 1999 has been short-lived, after he captured the WBC gold to complete the set with a thrilling points win over Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia last month.
However, he was always expected to vacate the IBF strap sooner rather than later having been contractually obliged to face Fury in a rematch later this year rather than fulfilling his duties against a mandatory challenger, which is now Dubois after the latter stopped former No1 contender Filip Hrgovic during the recent Matchroom vs Queensberry 5v5 card in Riyadh to become interim champion.
It had been mooted that Usyk could even vacate or be stripped of his title before that unique event to allow Dubois and Hrgovic to fight for it, though a decision on the fate of the IBF belt was delayed.
It has also been suggested in some quarters that Dubois could yet be upgraded to full champion and defend against Joshua, rather than the two competing for the vacant belt.
Taking to social media to confirm his relinquishing of the IBF belt, Usyk wrote: "Hey Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois, the IBF Belt is my present for you for 21.09.2024. The world loves strong. Your friend, Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World, Oleksandr Usyk.”
Hey @anthonyjoshua,@DynamiteDubois,
— Oleksandr Usyk (@usykaa) June 25, 2024
The IBF Belt is my present for you for 21.09.2024
The world loves strong.
Your friend,
Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World, Oleksandr Usyk 😉@Turki_alalshikh @RTFight_App pic.twitter.com/eQU8xELSwk
In an accompanying short video, the Ukrainian said: “Anthony and Daniel, listen, I know the IBF title is important to you. Call it my present to you on September 21.”
The IBF belt was the first world title ever won by Joshua, who took it from American Charles Martin with an emphatic second-round knockout at London’s O2 Arena back in April 2016.
He later added the WBA (Super), WBO and IBO crowns, which he regained with a rematch win over Andy Ruiz Jr in December 2019 having been stunned by the latter on his US debut at Madison Square Garden six months earlier.
Joshua would later lose his titles once again to Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September 2021, failing to wrestle them back in a rematch in Saudi Arabia the following year. He has since worked his way back into contention by reeling off four successive comeback wins over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.
Dubois, meanwhile, is a former WBA ‘regular’ heavyweight champion who fought Usyk for four belts last summer in Poland after becoming mandatory for his ‘super’ WBA title, stopped in the ninth round after an earlier low-blow controversy.
