On February 22, Daniel Dubois will defend his IBF heavyweight title against Joseph Parker at the Riyadh Season event. The winner of this fight will be Oleksandr Usyk’s next opponent, in what would be his penultimate fight before hanging up his gloves for good at the age of 38. This has taken boxing fans by surprise.
The last time the Ukrainian stepped into the ring was on December 21, 2024, in the rematch granted to Tyson Fury, whom he had already beaten months earlier. The end in the second edition would be the same, with a record of 22-0-0, ‘The Cat’ would win the duel by unanimous decision to keep his unbeaten record
This result had consequences, as ‘the Gypsy King’ announced days later his official retirement from the world of pugilism. Not without first throwing a ‘poisoned dart’ towards Oleksandr: “Dick Turpin wore a mask”, he said on his social networks, referring to the famous fictional thief, as he believes he won his last fight in Arabia.
Dubois wants to fire him his way
After ‘Usyk vs Fury 1’, Daniel Dubois picked up the IBF heavyweight title that Usyk vacated, but he is not content with just this, as he is confident enough to defeat the current undisputed champion in a rematch. “Usyk, I want my rematch. I want my rematch, Usyk,” he said after the fight in the ring after snatching the microphone from the interviewer. In their first encounter, the Ukrainian won with a little controversy, after having received an ‘uppercut’ that the referee considered as a low blow, gave him time to recover strength so that in the ninth round he sent the Briton to the canvas with a majestic right hook.
“Usyk, I want my rematch. I want my rematch, Usyk
For his part, the current champion has already made it clear in an interview with Sky Sports: “I’ll fight whoever wins, Joseph Parker, Daniel Dubois, no problem”. In this way, he momentarily settles the issue of his next opponent, whom he will face at the end of this year in his penultimate fight.
In search of the chosen one
After having chosen who he will face before the end of the year, it remains to be seen who will be the last chosen for his retirement, if he keeps his word, of course. Here there are a range of names, from old glories such as Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury (the latter would be more difficult as he has just announced his retirement) to young fighters, where names such as Johnny Fisher or Mosses Itauma appear
At just 25 years of age, he already boasts an enviable 12-0-0 record. His last fight was against David Allen, where he won by split decision and is already preparing for a possible rematch. Today he is the best candidate, as fighting streamers for money and show is not in the line of this warrior
Itauma would be a great opponent to end his career as well, the young Briton is ready to prove his level against Usyk: “I think I’m the best boxer in the world. I just have to go out and prove it,” he said bluntly when asked in an interview about a possible fight with ‘the cat’
I believe I’m the best boxer in the world. I just have to go out and prove it
But the boxing world needs to see a fight between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk before he retires, the world is asking for it and hopefully this story will be closed with a meeting between the two Britons.
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