The World Boxing Association has formally ordered that unified (WBA, WBO & IBF) super world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13KOs) face his mandatory challenger, Daniel Dubois (19-1, 18KOs). The world governing body has issued a deadline of May 2nd for the fight to be agreed upon. If no agreement is reached, the contest will go to purse bids.
The WBA’s move comes following an expired deadline for Usyk and WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24KOs), with those elongated negotiations ultimately unsuccessful for an undisputed heavyweight showdown. Usyk would leave the talks due to Fury’s unwillingness to agree to percentage splits regarding a rematch clause. Usyk had agreed to take a purse split of 30% for the proposed contest, with the negotiations being dictated by Fury via social media.
Dubious, who won the WBA’s secondary title and mandatory position in June against Trevor Bryant, made a successful maiden defence against Kevin Lerena in December. However, questions remain over Dubois’s fitness after sustaining an ACL tear during his contest with Lerena. Dubois would be knocked down three times on his way to a third-round stoppage as part of the supporting cast to Tyson Fury’s voluntary defence against Dereck Chisora.
Egis Kilmas, manager of Usyk, speaking last week to Steve Kim, wants to send out doctors and specialists to assess the wellbeing of Dubois before agreeing to obligate his and the WBA’s mandatory defence.
It should also be noted that former WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder ( 43-2-1, 42KOs) has been positioned into the WBA’s rankings at #1 behind Dubois. If Daniel Dubois is unavailable to challenge Usyk as a mandatory challenger, the WBA rules state that Usyk must obligate the highest-ranked available contender, Wilder, at the time of publication.
Usyk became the unified world heavyweight champion in 2021 with a victory over Anthony Joshua in London, England, claiming a unanimous decision win. The pair would rematch in August of last year in Saudi Arabia, with Usyk repeating the feat with a unanimous decision points win.
