Daniel Dubois will get another chance at world heavyweight glory later this year. The former IBF champion lost his belt to Oleksandr Usyk last July, when Usyk stopped him in the fifth round of their undisputed fight at Wembley. It was Dubois’s second defeat to Usyk, having also been stopped nine rounds into their first meeting two years earlier.
Following that victory, Usyk vacated the WBO heavyweight title and chose not to face interim champion Fabio Wardley. Wardley was promoted to full champion and will make his first defence against Dubois on May 9 in Manchester, according to reports confirmed by The Ring Magazine.
Usyk had hoped to unify further by fighting Deontay Wilder, but Wilder instead signed to face Derek Chisora in April. With no opponent currently lined up, Usyk has hinted at a possible crossover bout with kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven, a fight publicly floated by Turki Alalshikh. Usyk has shared posts about the idea but has yet to confirm whether the fight will happen.
