(London) Daniel Dubois will meet Anthony Joshua for the IBF title after the withdrawal of Oleksandr Usyk who gave up his title just a few weeks after becoming undisputed heavyweight world champion.
The 37-year-old Ukrainian became the first heavyweight to hold the IBF, WBO, WBA and WBC belts when he beat Tyson Fury on points in Saudi Arabia last month.
While he was under contract for a rematch with Britain’s Anthony Joshua scheduled for December 21 in Riyadh, he announced he was unable to defend the IBF crown against interim champion and mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, a another Brit.
As a result, Dubois and Joshua will face off on September 21 at Wembley in the London suburbs for the vacant IBF title.
Usyk, 37, had said in a video posted to social media on Tuesday: “Anthony and Daniel, listen. I know the IBF title is important to you. This is my gift to you on September 21.”
Double world champion Anthony Joshua, 34, has 28 victories and two defeats while Daniel Dubois, 28, has 21 victories in 23 fights during his career.
Another Briton, Lennox Lewis, was the last boxer to unify the main heavyweight belts –– three at the time – before Usyk, in 1999.