IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois wouldn’t let his former rival go unaddressed following Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2.
Daniel Dubois sat ringside as Oleksandr Usyk outpointed Tyson Fury for the second time in less than a year on Saturday in Riyadh. In a highly-entertaining 12-round affair, Usyk earned a unanimous decision win to move to 2-0 over the all-time great Fury.
Usyk remains defeated with the victory over Fury and has his eyes set on other potential heavyweight title challengers. One of which is Dubois, who fell short against Usyk in their first clash last year.
After the first Usyk vs. Dubois matchup ended controversially, boxing fans could be on the verge of seeing the two behemoths square off once again. First thing’s first for Dubois, who is scheduled to face Joseph Parker in February in his upcoming title defense.
But Dubois’s upcoming obstacle didn’t stop him from attempting to build up a possible rematch with his former rival.
Daniel Dubois vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2?
In the middle of Usyk’s post-fight interview with Ade Oladipo, Dubois intruded to begin to promote a possible rematch.
“Usyk! I want my revenge!” Dubois declared “Well done tonight, well played. But I want my revenge for the robbery last time! Let’s get it. Let’s go! Where is Frank [Warren]? Make it happen!”
Dubois and Parker will clash on a stacked card on February 22nd in Riyadh. The card is headlined by the highly-anticipated light heavyweight title rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Usyk seemed receptive to running it back with Dubois after his former foe interrupted his post-fight celebration. Their first matchup ended with a ninth-round TKO by Usyk, despite some mid-fight controversy early on.
Daniel Dubois faces tall task before negotiating Oleksandr Usyk rematch
In the fifth round between Usyk and Dubois, Dubois dropped Usyk with a powerful body shot, but the presiding referee ruled it a low blow and gave Usyk up to five minutes to recover. The sequence could’ve resulted in a Dubois TKO victory had the referee not ruled it an illegal shot.
After defeating Dubois, Usyk defeated Fury by split decision in May. The undefeated Ukrainian powerhouse has defeated the likes of Anthony Joshua, Derek Chisora, and Tony Bellew during his career in the ring.
Dubois will face a new, fresh challenge in Parker, who many believe could present numerous headaches for Dubois in their fight. Parker earned the WBO interim heavyweight championship with a majority decision win over Zhilei Zhang in March.
2025, on paper, should be another high-octane year for boxing, particularly for the heavyweights. Usyk vs. Dubois 2 could be on the horizon if Dubois can get past his upcoming adversary.