Krassyuk Announces Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois Title Defense for August 26
3kingsboxing.com has kept tabs on the attempts to finalize a matchup between unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) and WBA Regular heavyweight titleholder Daniel Dubois (19-1, 18 KOs). Recent developments say the fight will occur on August 26 at the Stadion Wroclaw in Wroclaw, Poland.
A SPECIAL DATE
Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk, confirmed the news during an interview with news outlet Ring TVP Sport. The fight was to happen on August 12. Krassyuk explained the decision behind pushing the fight back.
“Wroclaw is home to many Ukrainians . . . The fight will take place at the stadium for 24,000 people. We had to change the date from August 12 to August 26 because it is Ukraine’s Independence Day. It’s the perfect date to set up a fight with Dubois. We couldn’t waste it.”
HOW WE GOT HERE
This fight became viable when negotiations fell through for a proposed April 29 unification showdown between Usyk and WBC champion Tyson Fury. On April 3, the WBA ordered a matchup between Usyk and Dubois to consolidate the WBA heavyweight title. The fight went to a purse bid on May 25, with Krassyuk outbidding Dubois’s promoter, Queensberry, to earn the right to stage the contest.
It will be Usyk’s second title defense. He became the unified heavyweight champion in September 2021 with a unanimous decision victory over Anthony “AJ” Joshua. His first title defense was a rematch against Joshua in August 2022. Once again, Usyk was able to conquer AJ, this time winning by a split decision.
Dubois has been out of the ring since a third-round stoppage over Kevin Lerena in December 2022. Following that win, Dubois underwent knee surgery for an ACL injury. There were concerns that the WBA Regular belt-holder would not be physically ready to fight Usyk. But in March 2023, the World Boxing Association received a report that Dubois’s knee was in good shape.
