Anthony Joshua is scheduled to face Daniel Dubois for the IBF heavyweight title, after undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk abandoned the belt ahead of his rematch with Tyson Fury.
Oleksandr Usyk has declared that he will vacate the IBF heavyweight title, clearing the way for Anthony Joshua to challenge for the title.
Just over a month after defeating Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship, the Ukrainian boxer announced on social media that he will relinquish the IBF title to allow Joshua and Daniel Dubois to compete for it.
“Anthony and Daniel, listen,” Usyk began in a short clip. “I know IBF title important to you. Tell it, my present to you. On September 21 guys.”
Usyk also captioned the video seemingly with a jab at Fury, stating: “Hey @anthonyjoshua, @DynamiteDubois, The IBF Belt is my present for you for 21.09.2024. The world loves strong. Your friend, Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World, Oleksandr Usyk.”
Originally, Joshua was set to face whoever the winner was between Fury and Usyk for a title shot, provided he defeated Dubois, according to Eddie Hearn in early June. Hearn also admitted that it is unlikely Fury and Usyk would face off for a third time, even if the ‘Gypsy King’ were to even the score between the two.
Now, Joshua will skip any waiting period and his bout with Dubois has huge importance for both. And while the 34-year-old appears to be the more well-rounded fighter than Dubois, Mirror Sports’ Barry McGuigan thinks Joshua has a weakness that could be exploited.
By vacating the title, Usyk has allowed Joshua to chase a dream he had been after, especially after it was revealed Usyk had been mulling a move back to cruiserweight. The move would come after the rematch in December, as he told Three Knockdown Rule.
Anthony Joshua will fight for the IBF belt in September against Daniel Dubois.
“I think maybe after rematch, I want to go down to my weight at cruiserweight. We have spoken about that, go back down to cruiserweight and get undisputed for the second time in that division,” the 37-year-old shared. Usyk also explained how he dislikes the process of bulking up to face Joshua and Fury, stating: “For me, I don’t like it. Three times, cocktail and water. Protein, banana.”
With the fear of not getting to face Usyk out of his mind, Joshua can focus on the task at hand: Preparing to face Dubois to the best of his abilities, especially as his career winds down. Hearn shared a potential date when Joshua could call it quits, regardless of success.
“I think maybe the end of 2026,” Hearn explained. “If he wins in September and beats Fury or Usyk to become undisputed then what else do you do? It could even be next year, who knows? He’ll want to continue while he’s performing and right now he’s the best ever. He wants legacy, greatness.”
