Undisputed Heavyweight World Championship

Heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk

Heavyweight Daniel Dubois

Oleksandr Usykvs Daniel dubois II
UNDISPUTED! USYK VS DUBOIS SET FOR WEMBLEY SHOWDOWN ON 19
JULY - LIVE ON DAZN WORLDWIDE
A NEW UNDISPUTED heavyweight champion of the world will be
crowned on Saturday, July 19 at Wembley Stadium, the home of English football, where unified WBC, WBO and WBA world champion Oleksandr Usyk and IBF world champion Daniel Dubois will fight for all the belts in a historic event on UK soil, broadcast live on DAZN Worldwide and promoted by Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren for Queensberry and Ready To Fight.
The fighters will come face-to-face at the launch
press conference at 2pm on Tuesday, 29 April. Tickets for the blockbuster
undisputed clash go on general sale at 12pm on Wednesday, 30 April available
from ticketmaster.co.uk.
Under the sponsorship of Riyadh Season, Usyk and Dubois will now battle to unite all the heavyweight titles for the second time in 14 months, with the previous undisputed clash having taken place in November 1999 when Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield.
For Oleksandr Usyk, 38, this fight is an attempt to become the undisputed champion for the third time. The Ukrainian first won this title in cruiserweight in 2018. Later, in May 2024, Usyk subsequently entered into his original undisputed match with WBC champion Tyson Fury in May 2024 and was declared victor via a split decision, before repeating his success with unified honours at stake in December.
For Dubois, it is a rematch of their first meeting in Wroclaw, Poland in August 2023, where his body shot in the fifth round was deemed illegal by the referee and Usyk was afforded over four minutes of recovery time. Deflated by the overrule of his knockdown and ultimately stopped in the ninth, Dubois never agreed with the referee’s decision and has been pushing for a rematch ever since.
Since his Usyk reverse, Dubois, 27, has put together a treble of resounding victories by overcoming the previously undefeated Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic, followed by a Wembley destruction of former unified champion Anthony Joshua.
His IBF Interim title success over Hrgovic was later upgraded to full champion status, with his encounter with Joshua being his first defence of the title. A scheduled second defence against former WBO world champion Joseph Parker in February was called off at late notice due to illness.
Never before has an undisputed heavyweight championship been fought for on British soil and attendance and viewing figure records in the UK and Europe are likely to be shattered on what will be a monumental night for the sport.
“I’m grateful to God for the opportunity to once again fight for the undisputed championship,” said Oleksandr Usyk. “Thank you, Daniel, for taking care of my IBF belt — now I want it back.”
“This is the fight I wanted and demanded and now I get my chance for revenge against Oleksandr Usyk,” said Dubois. “I should have won the first fight and was denied by the judgement of the referee, so I will make no mistake this time around in front of my people at the national stadium in my home city. I am a superior and more dangerous fighter now and Usyk will find this out for himself on July 19. I would like to thank my promoter Frank for making this happen for me and I intend to repay him by becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.”
“I am thrilled to deliver this historic undisputed occasion for Daniel at Wembley Stadium,” said promoter Frank Warren. “It will be an honour to promote a sporting event of this magnitude and a privilege to bring over a champion of the stature of Oleksandr. I would like to thank Oleksandr and his team at Ready to Fight for their great cooperation in making this fight become a reality. I am certain that we will see the best of British both in and outside of the ring, from Daniel and the unrivalled fight fans who will pack out the biggest sporting venue in the country.”
“Both teams have done tremendous work to make this fight a reality. Even more work is waiting ahead, especially for Oleksandr and Daniel themselves. I’m confident no one will be left disappointed,” said Egis Klimas, Oleksandr Usyk’s manager.
“Thank you to Queensberry Promotions for the cooperation, as well as Riyadh Season and DAZN for their support,” said Sergey Lapin, the CEO of Ready To Fight and Usyk’s team director. “This will not only be a great bout, but also a unique event in terms of entertainment. We are ready to deliver the Undisputed Resolution to all boxing fans worldwide.”
“We are delighted to add Usyk vs Dubois II to the DAZN calendar,” said Michael Ridout, EVP New Business, DAZN. “An already packed fight diary has just got bigger with such an era-defining fight at the home of English Football. Usyk, a nailed-on future Hall-of Famer, puts his legacy on the line against Dubois, a fighter who sees this as an opportunity to right a wrong. I personally cannot wait for this match-up and look forward to showing fans around the World in the build-up, and on fight night, why DAZN is the global home of boxing.”
What's At Stake
If Oleksandr Usyk proves successful in overcoming Daniel Dubois for a second time at Wembley Stadium on July 19, he will become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World for a second time following on from his original triumph over Tyson Fury in May of 2024.
The Ukrainian hero relinquished the IBF portion of his title status following his Fury victory and the title was awarded to Dubois in the wake of his Interim title win over Filip Hrgovic.
Dubois proceeding to reinforce his world champion credentials with a thumping destruction of former two-time unified world champion Anthony Joshua.
Putting the belts back together would see Usyk become a two-time undisputed champion, which was only previously accomplished by Muhammad Ali in the WBA-WBC two-belt era that commenced in 1963.
Should Dubois prevail, he would become Britain’s first Undisputed King since Lennox Lewis back in 1999 in the three-belt WBA-WBC-IBF era and the first in these current four-belt times, which includes the WBO.


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WINS
23
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LOSES
0
-
DRAW
0
-
KOs
14
Oleksandr Usyk
"The Cat"
Oleksandr Usyk could lay claim to being one of the greatest ever to pull on a pair of boxing gloves. An Olympic gold medalist, World Amateur Champion, undisputed cruiserweight world champion, undisputed heavyweight world champion, Muhammad Ali Trophy holder, Ring Magazine belt holder. It is a resume that demands respect and adulation.
But this, slightly quirky, southpaw from Ukraine largely shuns the global limelight, while never concealing his love for, yes his family, but also his country. If Usyk hailed from the western world, his recognition levels would increase ten-fold. Usyk, publicly at least, is not a big talker.
The Usyk profile pendulum swung upwards during the World Boxing Super Series that took place across 2017-18 with the goal of uniting the four cruiserweight belts. Fight fans knew Usyk was a bit special beforehand, but watching him dominate the WBSS confirmed he was the real deal. The WBO world champion defeated Marco Huck, Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev to bring all the belts together and then opted to lure the previous WBC champion Tony Bellew, who was in recess having had a dabble at heavyweight, into a final fling at cruiserweight. On British soil in Manchester, Bellew was vanquished in the eighth round. A true Cruiserweight King was crowned.
Heavyweight beckoned and, after just two fights at the top poundage, Usyk hit the big time by cashing in on his WBO champion currency that saw him installed as mandatory challenger to the unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. The fight took place at the futuristic Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London and fans were given a sighting of the heavyweight future by Usyk completely outsmarting the two-time world champion.
11 months on Usyk took part in a contracted rematch against Joshua, this time on Saudi Arabian land in Jeddah. The fight played out largely like the first one, only a bit closer. Thoughts that the strapping Joshua could mow down a small heavyweight were extinguished and Usyk retained his belts and made more of the world sit up and take notice of this smiling assassin.
A year on and it was time to oblige a mandatory challenger. Another English giant, this time in the shape of Daniel Dubois, who is now IBF world champion following his demolition of Anthony Joshua earlier this year. Dubois did introduce Usyk to the Stadion Wroclaw canvas with a bludgeoning shot to the body in the fifth round. However, the beltline blow was deemed illegal by the referee and Usyk was afforded over four minutes of recovery time. Dubois was deflated by the decision and then ran out of steam, ultimately stopped in the ninth.
There remained a missing piece of the heavyweight jigsaw. Tyson Fury was the WBC world champion, the lineal world champion and an undefeated great who triumphed in an epic trilogy against Deontay Wilder. A gripping encounter of the highest quality - as you would expect - followed, with Usyk gaining the upper hand in a dramatic ninth round when he rocked Fury and launched an assault that saw the WBC King take a count.
It was always going to be close. Usyk got the nod from two of the three judges and we had a new Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World for the first time in over 20 years. In December, we got to see it again, this time for unified champion status and Usyk and Fury treated the world to another classic. Again there was not much in it and it was the arm of Usyk raised in triumph when a unanimous decision was declared.
Daniel Dubois
"Dynamite"
Fighter ProfileDaniel Dubois the IBF heavyweight champion of the world following his resounding stoppage victory over former two-time unified champion Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium. The strapping Londoner confirmed his status as an elite heavyweight by flooring the 2012 Olympic champion four times on his way to the emphatic fifth round conclusion.
Dubois put himself in position for his Wembley glory by defeating the previously unbeaten No.1 contender Filip Hrgoviv in June over in Riyadh via an eighth round finish, having earlier ended the unbeaten heavyweight reign of giant American Jarrell Miller in December of last year.
It represents a sequence of victories, following on from his unsuccessful unified challenge against Oleksandr Usyk in August 2023, that is right up there with the best in world boxing.
Right from the beginning of his professional journey, Dubois had been widely considered to be a world champion in waiting. This prediction first came true with a thumping victory over the previously unbeaten Trevor Bryan to win the WBA world heavyweight title in June of 2022. At the beginning of the December he made a first defence of his prized WBA belt against the dangerous South African Kevin Lerena and ultimately prevailed via a third round stoppage. His performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium booked his shot at unified champion Usyk and this encounter took place on August 26 of 2023 in Wroclaw, Poland.
At just 19, with limited senior amateur experience under his belt, Dubois took the plunge into the professional ranks when it was thought by many that he would carry the nation's heavyweight hopes into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and follow in the medal-winning footsteps of Anthony Joshua and Joe Joyce.
Now, Dubois, with just 24 fights on his professional clock, has already recorded 13 separate title successes in his career to date by winning the WBC Youth, Southern Area, English, WBO European, WBO Global, British, Commonwealth, WBO International, WBC Silver, WBA Interim, WBA World, IBF Interim and IBF World title belts.

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WINS
22
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LOSES
2
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DRAW
0
-
KOs
21
Usyk Vs Dubois
Last Time Out
Low or No?
Was it or wasn’t it? The question, of course, relates to whether Daniel Dubois floored Oleksandr Usyk with a legitimate blow in Poland in August 2023, or was it low.
The debate rages to this day, especially now the two world heavyweight champions are set to rematch at Wembley Stadium on July 19. It was round five when Dubois sunk his right glove punishingly into the waistband of the unified champion at Stadion Wroclaw.
Usyk folded as he plummeted towards the canvas, gulping for air. The referee, Luis Pabon, quickly determined his view that he believed the shot was below the belt, possibly because Usyk had regularly been complaining about shots drifting south. Usyk was given over four minutes of recovery time, while Dubois was forced to stand.


Fight Outcome
Referee Pabon did not, however, indicate to the fighters before the first bell what he considered okay and what wasn’t, which is normally a feature of major fights, especially from experienced world championship referees.
Usyk recovered his composure, while Dubois lost his momentum and wilted in the later rounds. It is a lesson he assures everyone he has learned.
Now, Wembley Stadium awaits and will Usyk be able to rely on the snap judgement of the referee for a second time and can his body stand up to the force of a rejuvenated Dubois.

