Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is reportedly on his way back to the ring. On May 25, K2 Promotions won the purse bid for Usyk’s upcoming mandatory defense. As it currently stands, the Ukrainian heavyweight champion is set to fight challenger Daniel Dubois on August 12 in Warsaw, Poland. However, no deal has been set in stone just yet.
Usyk won the undisputed cruiserweight title in 2018 and moved up to heavyweight one year later. In his first tow heavyweight contests, he stopped Chazz Witherspoon in the 7th round and beat Derek Chisora by unanimous decision. In September 2021, he upset Anthony Joshua to win the unified heavyweight title and beat the former champion in a rematch 11 months later. Now, he will look to fight in Poland for the first time since winning his first cruiserweight title in 2016.
Usyk’s challenger, Daniel Dubois, has had to fight his way back into the title picture. Back in November 2020, Joe Joyce stopped Dubois in the 10th round, handing him his first pro loss. Since then, Dubois has bounced back with wins against Kevin Lerena, Trevor Bryan and Joe Cusumano.
