The World Boxing Association Championships Committee has mandated discussions for a global championship bout between heavyweight “super” titleholder Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) and “regular” titleholder Daniel Dubois (19-1, 18 KOs). Starting from April 4, the fighters’ teams have a 30-day window to finalize negotiations, which concludes on May 2.
Although the fight between Usyk and Dubois was initially mandated on December 12 of 2022, Usyk was granted additional time to negotiate a unification bout with WBC champion Tyson Fury but the unification bout could not be finalized.
During his latest fight on December 3 of 2022 against Kevin Larena, Dubois sustained a knee injury. Although he emerged victorious, he was visibly injured and struggled to walk. On March 30, the WBA received a medical report for Dubois from his team. The assessment, signed by London-based doctor James Witthicase, confirmed that Dubois is fit for all physical activities.
If an agreement for the Usyk-Dubois bout is not reached by May 2 or if either party refuses to negotiate, the WBA may likely initiate a purse bid with a distribution of 75% for Usyk and 25% for Dubois.
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