Dubois Promises to Dethrone Usyk at Inaugural Heavyweight Face-Off
Oleksandr Usyk is prepared to safeguard his unified titles against Britain's Daniel Dubois, who is the first mandatory challenger in a heavyweight clash set for Wroclaw, Poland on August 26. This bout signals the year's first championship engagement in the heavyweight division and will be Usyk's second title defense following his last contest with Anthony Joshua in August of the previous year. At merely 25 years old, Dubois enters the ring with a goal to **dethrone Usyk** and bring the titles back to Britain. Despite suffering a setback with a loss to Joe Joyce, his trajectory in the division regained momentum after securing a win against Trevor Bryan, consequently bagging the WBA Regular belt and qualifying him for a shot at the world title. Surviving a hard-fought battle with Kevin Lerena, where he endured three knockdowns in the first round, Dubois managed to hold on to his mandatory spot. The fight, which is seen as a crucial opportunity for Dubois to **dethrone Usyk**, is being managed by Usyk's team, K2, and will be aired on TNT Sports Box Office, previously known as BT, in the UK. The initial press conference allowed the two fighters to size each other up for the first time. Usyk, a former undisputed cruiserweight champion aiming to replicate his success in the heavyweight category, expressed his gratitude to those currently defending Ukraine. The fight is timed to take place two days after Ukraine's Independence Day. Given Poland's close proximity to Usyk's homeland, his promoter, Alex Krassyuk, is anticipating a turnout of 43,000 spectators at the Tarczynski Arena. Meanwhile, Dubois, undeterred by the challenge to **dethrone Usyk**, confirmed that he is in injury-free condition for the upcoming bout – a detail that was unclear following his fight with Lerena – and expressed his resolve to emerge victorious in Poland. “I’m ready to take it with both hands. Usyk’s been a great champion, but everything with a beginning has an end, and I’m ready.” The press conference ended with chants in favor of the current champion as the two faced off, anticipating another encounter scheduled for Thursday in London as part of the press tour.
