Finally, over one half into the year as we are, we have a world heavyweight title fight announced, confirmed, and officially done. Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight belts against WBA mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois. The fight will go down at Tarczynski Arena in Poland, max capacity of 45,000. The date is August 26th.
“See you 26 August,” Usyk wrote on social media, this attached to a fight poster hyping the fight.
Dubois also uploaded the fight poster, with the words “It’s my time now! I’m going to shock the world! Be ready, Oleksandr Usyk” attached.
The fight will be a PPV offering here in the UK, going out on TNT Sports. We await details as far as US television coverage is concerned.
Usyk, 20-0(13), is naturally a huge favorite to defeat Dubois, the unbeaten southpaw from Ukraine heavily favored by the experts, the bookmakers, and the fans. And with good reason. Usyk has looked sensational during his career, with the supremely conditioned, constantly moving 220 pounder so impressing some good judges they have referred to him as very, very special indeed. Dubois, a big puncher, has tasted defeat, and he struggled in his last fight when he was decked three times by the unfancied Kevin Lerena.
Dubois, who hurt his knee during one of the three tumbles, will need to up his game by some considerable margin if he is to have a genuine shot at causing the upset win he is predicting. Dubois will face an expected hostile crowd, one of the most technically gifted boxers of recent years, and “Dynamite” will also confront any self-doubt he may carry with him into the fight. It really would be a shocker if Dubois, 19-1(18) pulled it off.
But Dubois can bang, he has shown heart, and he is young (11 years Usyk’s junior), and he is hungry. And, as crazy as it may be, the August 26th fight may well be the SOLE world heavyweight title fight that takes place in 2023. We are hearing rumors WBC champ Tyson Fury may face Francis Ngannou next, this in an exhibition affair, and it’s unclear if Fury will defend his WBC belt after that before the year is out. That said, Usyk and his team continue hoping the Fury unification showdown will happen next after Usyk has taken care of business against Dubois.
As starved for world heavyweight title fight action as we fans currently are, the Usyk-Dubois fight will likely pull in a big to huge global TV audience.
