Promoter Alex Krassyuk announced over twitter that he and his team, who act as representatives for Oleksandr Usyk, the reigning WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion, successfully secured the purse bid for Usyk's mandatory WBA defense against Daniel Dubois. The exact amount of money offered to secure the promotional rights has not been disclosed, but Krassyuk mentioned that the scheduled date for the fight is August 12 in Wroclaw, Poland.
https://twitter.com/AKrassyuk/status/1661772183264276484
As per reports, Krassyuk submitted a bid of $8 million to secure the highly anticipated heavyweight title fight, whereas Frank Warren reportedly offered $5.6 million during the purse bid conducted on Thursday.
Furthermore, it has been reported that the purse split for the fight is set at 75/25 in favor of Usyk. This implies that the Ukrainian boxer will be entitled to receive $6 million, while Dubois is set to receive $2 million from their upcoming summer bout.
After failing to reach an agreement for a high-profile bout with Tyson Fury last month, Usyk was mandated to defend his unified heavyweight titles against Dubois.
In an effort to finalize a deal, Usyk proposed a 70-30 split in Fury's favor. However, despite his initial efforts, the Ukrainian eventually decided to withdraw from the negotiations.
Usyk's frustration grew due to Fury's excessive demands, and the breaking point came when the Gypsy King requested the removal of the rematch clause from their fight contract.
Nevertheless, while Fury's loss in securing the fight with Usyk is evident, Dubois is the one who benefits from this situation. The WBA is determined to proceed with their mandatory requirements, ensuring that Dubois gets the opportunity to face Usyk for the title.
Dubois is now preparing for his inaugural world heavyweight title challenge, which undoubtedly represents the most significant test of his career thus far, spanning six years.
Dubois has made some changes in his training team. After parting ways with Shane McGuigan, he has enlisted the services of Don Charles as his new head trainer. Charles is renowned for his work with heavyweight contender Derek Chisora during several significant fights. The impact of this new partnership, formed just weeks before facing one of the most skilled heavyweights in recent years, remains uncertain and can only be determined in due course.
Undoubtedly, this represents a significant leap in competition for the 25-year-old Dubois, and there are experts who believe that he would have benefitted from gaining more experience in big-fight scenarios before taking on the formidable southpaw from Ukraine. However, it is worth considering that opportunities to compete for three world heavyweight titles are rare, and Dubois might be justified in seizing this chance rather than waiting.
Assuming the fight takes place on the proposed August 12 date as mentioned by Krassyuk, it will mark nearly a year since Usyk's last bout, which was a victorious encounter against Anthony Joshua. Usyk, aged 36, holds an undefeated record of 20 wins with 13 knockouts. On the other hand, Dubois (19-1, 18 KOs) last stepped into the ring in December of the previous year, when he overcame Kevin Lerena despite being knocked down three times. It's worth noting that Dubois sustained a knee injury during that fight.
Fans have raised concerns regarding Dubois' decision to face Usyk at this juncture of his career. However, Dubois himself asserts that he is prepared and capable of taking on the challenge posed by Usyk.
If Usyk keeps his belts, he is expected to pursue a fight with Tyson Fury to determine the undisputed heavyweight champion for the first time in 20 years.
