Daniel Dubois has vowed to hit Oleksandr Usyk like ‘nobody has’, after the WBA ordered a title fight between the heavyweights.
Usyk was in talks with Tyson Fury over a bout to crown an undisputed champion later this month, but negotiations collapsed in March, leading Usyk’s promoter to suggest that Dubois would be next for the Ukrainian.
Usyk, 36, holds the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles, and Dubois is the mandatory challenger for the WBA belt. On Monday (3 April), the WBA officially ordered Usyk to defend his titles against the Briton.
“Time to get what I’ve been working for my whole life,” Dubois, 25, tweeted.
“@usykaa you are a good champion but nobody has hit you like I will. See you soon. #AndTheNew.”
Olympic gold medalist Usyk is unbeaten as a professional, with his last two wins having come against Anthony Joshua. Usyk outpointed “AJ” in 2021 to become unified champion and retained the titles against the Briton with another decision win last August.
Meanwhile, Dubois has won four fights in a row since suffering the sole defeat of his pro career in 2020, when he was stopped by compatriot Joe Joyce. Last time out, Dubois beat Kevin Lerena in December, fighting through a knee injury to finish his opponent in Round 3.
With that result, Dubois moved to 19-1 (18 knockouts). Meanwhile, Usyk’s record stands at 20-0 (13 KOs). The southpaw previously reigned as the only undisputed cruiserweight champion of the four-belt era.
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