According to recent media reports, Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs), the two-division four-belt champion, has announced his decision to vacate the IBF heavyweight title. As a result, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) has elevated British fighter Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) from interim to full heavyweight champion.
Dubois is set to return to the ring on September 21 to face former three-time heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) in what will be the biggest fight of his career so far.
Said Dubois, “I always hoped to win the full championship belt in the ring, but now I am the IBF heavyweight champion. I’m not worried about challenging Usyk’s belt; it just came without much effort now. I know that as long as I keep winning, I’ll become the heavyweight champion sooner or later. People used to say that by the time I was eligible to fight Joshua, he would have retired. But Joshua is still making big money, and I’ll work hard to knock him out. Joshua has been through many tough battles, and I’ll be 100% prepared for an intense fight with him.”
The 26-year-old Dubois currently holds a professional record of 21 wins and 2 losses, with 20 of those victories coming by way of knockout, ranking him fifth in the BOXREC heavyweight rankings. Standing at 6’5″ with a reach of 70″, Dubois won the IBF interim title on June 2nd this year by TKO in the eighth round against Filip Hrgović (17-1, 14 KOs). He had been a pre-fight underdog with odds of 1-3.
