Anthony Joshua to fight Daniel Dubois at Wembley for Usyk's vacated IBF heavyweight belt
Britain's Anthony Joshua, left, and Daniel Dubois during a press conference at the OVO Arena, Wembley, London, Wednesday June 26, 2024. Credit: AP/Jordan Pettitt
LONDON — Anthony Joshua will fight Daniel Dubois in an all-British bout for the IBF heavyweight belt on Sept. 21 at Wembley Stadium, following Oleksandr Usyk’s announcement that he will vacate the world title.
Dubois was the the IBF’s mandatory challenger and was upgraded to champion after Usyk vacated the belt, meaning the Ukrainian is no longer be the undisputed world heavyweight champion.
“I'm ready to let my fists do the talking,” the 26-year-old Dubois said at a press conference Wednesday after the bout was announced.
The 37-year-old Usyk beat Tyson Fury last month in Saudi Arabia to become the first undisputed world heavyweight champion in 24 years. He added Fury’s WBC title to his own WBA, IBF and WBO belts.
Fury’s rematch with Usyk is scheduled for Dec. 21, again in Saudi Arabia. After that fight, Usyk is considering dropping a weight and returning to box at cruiserweight.
“Anthony and Daniel, listen. I know (the) IBF title is important to you,” the smiling Usyk said in a video posted on X. ”(It is) my present to you.”
The 34-year-old Joshua is a two-time former heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist from the London Games. He stopped Francis Ngannou in the second round in March as he worked to rebuild his reputation after losing his three title belts in the first of consecutive losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022.
Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk celebrates after beating Britain's Anthony Joshua to retain his world heavyweight title at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022. Oleksandr Usyk will no longer be the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion when he vacates his IBF belt in September. The 37-year-old Ukrainian said in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he will not defend his IBF title on Sept. 21. Credit: AP/Hassan Ammar