Oleksandr Usyk will lose his undisputed heavyweight status when Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua fight.
Usyk beat Tyson Fury in their undisputed showdown in May to capture the WBC world heavyweight title.
His victory in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, saw him hold the WBA (super), IBF, WBO and WBC world titles, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999.
But Usyk announced that he is vacating the IBF strap as he issued a message to Dubois and Joshua, who are set to compete for the vacant title.
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“Anthony and Daniel, listen, I know IBF title important to you," he said. "[Call] it my present to you on Sept. 21."
Dubois vs. Joshua is expected to take place at Wembley Stadium on September 21, which will be announced later today.
Dubois stopped Filip Hrgovic in his last outing and in doing so, captured the interim IBF world heavyweight title.
However, according to boxing reporter Dan Rafael, the 26-year-old has been upgraded to full champion ahead of his clash against 'AJ'.
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Dubois is on a two-fight winning streak since his defeat to Usyk. He beat Jarrell Miller before producing a career-best performance to defeat the previously-undefeated Hrgovic.
As for Joshua, he's won four fights on the bounce since suffering back-to-back defeats to Usyk.
He's enjoying a resurgence under Ben Davison, having viciously stopped Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou in his last two showings.
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Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has already mapped out another undisputed battle.
If his prized asset can claim the IBF title, then he could be in line to meet the winner of the rematch between Usyk and Fury, which is scheduled for December 21.
Hearn proposed a potential bout between the winners of Dubois vs. Joshua and Usyk vs. Fury for April or May in 2025.
Topics: Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, Boxing
Nasir Jabbar