Tyson Fury's undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk could be in jeopardy after the Ukrainian was ordered to face Daniel Dubois.
Fury recently defended his WBC title with a KO over voluntary challenger Derek Chisora to set up a clash with Usyk who was ringside to watch the bout. Both teams have insisted talks to stage the fight are nearing completion, with just a venue to select before the fight is announced.
An undisputed fight was already thrown into doubt when Eddie Hearn claimed Filip Hrgovic would be ordered to challenge for Usyk's IBF world title. However it was determined by hearing that the WBA challenger would be first in line which is currently Fury's stablemate Dubois.
The decision was revealed during the rating section of the governing body's latest convention in Florida, and will need addressing in order to keep Fury's undisputed title bid with Usyk on track. But despite the decision potentially threatening a clash for all the belts, it is expected that a step-aside package could be negotiated with Dubois, particularly given he is also represented by Fury's promoter Frank Warren.
'Dynamite' has previously stated his interest in a shot at Usyk, and was expected to be ready should any undisputed fight talks collapse. Dubois' intentions are not yet clear but he is also expected to face a period out of the ring, after suffering a knee injury during his recent stoppage win over Kevin Lerena.
Fury was expected to retire after his defence against Dillian Whyte in April, but elected to call a halt to his plans to challenge Usyk. A fight was delayed until 2023 after the Ukrainian insisted he needed time to recover from his rematch win over Anthony Joshua. However Fury reignited his challenge during a heated face-to-face meeting in the ring after his routine win against Chisora.
Who wins if the pair meet - Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk? Let us know in the comments section below
And the WBC champion confirmed after the fight that he intends to pursue the clash and has a good feeling that it will happen despite the obstacles. He said after his win: "Let's give the fans one champion, one name, one face. Usyk's up for the challenge. He came over tonight so fair play to him.
"He's not an easy boxer to figure out - he's a slick, southpaw mover, with very good skills, Olympic gold medallist and he comes in good form. So I'm really looking forward to the challenge. The big fights sometimes don't happen for whatever reason. But I've got a good feeling this one's going to happen. But if it doesn't for X, Y or Z reasons, then we'll have Joe Joyce at Wembley next year."
