Daniel Dubois: Oleksandr Usyk to defend heavyweight titles against Briton on 26 August

Champion Oleksandr Usyk (left) bushed Antony Joshua by divided determination successful August 2022

Heavyweight satellite champion Oleksandr Usyk volition support his WBO, WBA (Super) and IBF titles against Briton Daniel Dubois successful Wroclaw, Poland connected 26 August.

Dubois, 25, holds the WBA (Regular) loop and has won 19 fights, with 18 knockouts, and been defeated once.

"He is simply a large combatant and I bash respect him, but it's my clip now," Dubois said.

"I'm going to daze the satellite and amusement radical however bully Daniel Dubois truly is."

Pound-for-pound prima Usyk has won each 20 nonrecreational fights and volition marque a 2nd defence of his unified title.

"I americium precise gladsome that we person the accidental to organise my combat successful Poland, wherever I won my archetypal satellite rubric 7 years ago," Usyk said.

The fight, primitively scheduled for 12 August, was pushed backmost by 2 weeks to much intimately align with Ukraine's Independence Day, which falls connected 24 August.

Following Russia's penetration of Ukraine, much than a cardinal Ukrainian refugees relocated to Poland.

"I privation to convey the Polish radical who are helping Ukraine truthful sincerely," Usyk added: "Hundreds of thousands of my compatriots person been hosted by this fantastic country.

"Therefore, I anticipation that my combat volition go 1 much accidental for Ukrainians and radical of Poland to unite and fortify our friendship."

Team Usyk hopeful of undisputed combat with Fury

Usyk, a erstwhile undisputed cruiserweight champion, dethroned Briton Anthony Joshua astatine the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium successful September 2021, earlier winning the rematch successful August 2022 successful Saudi Arabia.

An undisputed combat betwixt Usyk and Britain's WBC satellite champion Tyson Fury was acceptable to instrumentality spot astatine London's Wembley Stadium successful April but fell done aft disagreements implicit a rematch clause and purse split.

A historical Usyk-Fury contention - the archetypal undisputed heavyweight combat successful the four-belt epoch - was mooted to instrumentality spot successful Saudi successful December arsenic portion of a mammoth heavyweight paper besides featuring Anthony Joshua v Deontay Wilder.

Fury's co-promoter Frank Warren has said that Fury-Usyk is improbable to hap this year. According to reports, Fury whitethorn combat erstwhile UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou successful an accumulation next.

But Egis Klimas, Usyk's manager, says helium is inactive hopeful triumph implicit Dubois volition "lead to the biggest clash successful the world" against Fury.

Dubois - from imaginable to world-title challenger

In May, conscionable 3 months earlier his maiden world-title shot, Dubois divided with trainer Shane McGuigan and volition present beryllium trained by Don Charles.

The Londoner turned nonrecreational successful 2017 and soon established himself arsenic 1 of the brightest prospects successful heavyweight boxing with a drawstring of awesome knockout wins.

"To the extracurricular world, Daniel is simply a large outsider," his promoter Frank Warren said.

"But present astatine Queensberry we are supremely assured successful his quality to origin a large upset and execute the presumption helium acceptable retired to realise erstwhile helium turned nonrecreational with america backmost successful 2017."

In his 16th fight, however, helium came up abbreviated against chap Briton Joe Joyce successful 2020.

Despite being up connected 2 of the 3 judges' scorecards, Dubois took a genu successful the 10th circular and failed to bushed the count.

Dubois was rushed to infirmary and was diagnosed with a breached orbital bony and nervus harm to his near eye.

He returned to the ringing with 2 stoppage victories and past successful June 2022 won the WBA (Regular) rubric - to go fig 1 challenger - by knocking retired American Trevor Bryan successful Miami.

In December, Dubois was knocked down 3 times successful the archetypal circular earlier stopping South Africa's Kevin Lerena successful the third.