Daniel wants to take revenge on Alexander for the defeat in August 2023.
IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois challenged WBC, WBA, WBO and IBO title holder Oleksandr Usyk after his victory over Tyson Fury in the rematch.
After the Ukrainian was declared the winner of the fight against the “Gypsy King”, Dubois climbed into the ring and addressed Alexander, challenging him to a fight.
See also: Usyk vs. Fury: the best moments of the rematch (video)
Usyk didn't think long and immediately replied that he was ready to meet Dubois in the ring in the next fight.
“No problem. Mr. Turki, make me a fight with Daniel Dubois. Thank you very much,” Usyk addressed the head of the Saudi Arabian General Authority for Entertainment, Turki Al ash-Sheikh, who organized both fights between the Ukrainian and Fury.
It should be noted that in a potential fight between Usyk and Dubois, the title of absolute world heavyweight champion will again be at stake.
Thanks to his victory over Fury in their first fight, which took place on the night of May 19, 2024, Usyk became the first absolute world champion in the heavyweight division in the 21st century, holding all four major boxing belts in his hands – WBO, WBA, IBF and WBC.
However, Alexander then had to give up the IBF title, and therefore lose the “absolute” title. Now the IBF belt is held by Dubois, who has already managed to defend it by knockoutanother Briton Anthony Joshua.
Recall that on the night of August 27, Usyk knocked out Dubois in the ninth round and defended his WBO, WBA, IBO and IBF heavyweight world titles.
However, in the fifth round of the fight, a scandalous episode occurred – the Briton hit the Ukrainian below the belt, after which he fell to the canvas of the ring. The referee did not count the knockdown, but gave Alexander a few minutes to recover.
After the fight, Dubois said that he was robbed of the victory. According to the British boxer, his blow hit Usyk not below the belt, but right in the stomach. Daniel expressed confidence that he knocked out the Ukrainian and should have taken possession of the championship belts. In connection with this, Dubois’ team demanded that the result of the fight with Usyk be annulled.
Later, the WBA made an official statement, stating that Dubois’s hit below the belt was a violation of the rules and, after a detailed study of the appeal, ruled that the result of the championship fight remains in force.