Oleksandr Usyk will defend his world heavyweight titles on United Kingdom Pay Per View, proving his pulling power remains intact in the country.
Usyk and his team have capitalized on his two clashes with Anthony Joshua. Before that, wins over Derek Chisora and Tony Bellew that were broadcast on the UK paid platform.
His next effort is also against another Briton.
Four out of Usyk’s last five bouts have come against fighters from the British Isles. None have come remotely close to defeating him.
Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois
Next up is mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois. The WBA’s stipulation, who once held the regular belt, steps up for the full version leaving the old strap out of commission forever.
The World Boxing Association began a mission to dissolve the interim and regular titles from their system. Dubois is one of the final holders of the championship.
Whoever wins becomes the sole heavyweight ruler of the WBA. It leaves only a handful of divisions to be sorted out.
“Since the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) title reduction plan began, an expedited effort has been made in all divisions. We aim to make consistent decisions that are aligned with the goal.
“The first important step was eliminating the interim titles. It led to a reduction in a large number of championships and allowed these fighters to become mandatory challengers to several of the champions.
“Additionally, the WBA has issued resolutions in several divisions. It comes after an exhaustive review that intends to be as fair as possible while cleaning up each weight.
“The Gold champions have also had changes. Now their name appears in the ranking and not above as it did in the past,” said the WBA.
UK Pay Per View
Usyk vs Dubois now heads to TNT Sports Box Office. The network formerly known as BT Sport will be televised to UK audiences from the Tarczyński Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, on August 26.
The winner will be one step closer to a massive undisputed heavyweight unification with whoever holds the WBC title in 2024.
At present, Tyson Fury has the green and gold belt. However, if he decides to fight Francis Ngannou in an exhibition, the WBC will see this as an intention to divert from his boxing career and World Boxing Council commitments.
It’s therefore expected that the WBC would move to strip Fury. Or, at the very least, introduce an interim champion.
With Deontay Wilder and rival Andy Ruiz Jr. already ordered to contest a WBC final eliminator, it’s a no-brainer that the pair would battle for the interim or vacant belt in 2023.
In addition, Wilder or Ruiz could face Usyk or Dubois for all the marbles in early 2024.
Follow experienced boxing writer Phil Jay on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
