Usyk ends his career: boxer names next two rivals
2 May 14:41
Boxer Oleksandr Usyk has confirmed that he is ending his professional career. He named his last two opponents – the British Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury. He said this in an interview with Mail Sport Boxing, Komersant ukrainskyi reports
The first of the two final fights in Oleksandr Usyk’s career will take place on July 19 – the Ukrainian will meet again with the British Daniel Dubois. This fight will be a rematch of their previous encounter, which ended in Usyk’s victory, but was not without controversy, in particular because of a controversial punch below the belt that nearly disrupted the Ukrainian’s performance.
Usyk plans to fight his final fight against Tyson Fury. This will be the third confrontation between them: in the two previous meetings, Oleksandr won, strengthening his status as one of the greatest boxers of our time.
The date of the decisive fight has not yet been announced, but Usyk has made it clear that Fury should be his last opponent in his professional career.
What is known about the fight for the title of absolute heavyweight champion
Usyk is the world champion according to the WBC, WBA (World Boxing Association) and WBO (World Boxing Organization). Dubois holds the IBF (International Boxing Federation) belt.
Oleksandr Usyk already fought Daniel Dubois in August 2023 and knocked out the Briton in the ninth round.
In May 2024, Usyk defeated British boxer Tyson Fury and became the absolute world heavyweight champion. Then, due to a rematch with the “Gypsy King,” the Ukrainian refused to hold a mandatory IBF title defense against Dubois and vacated the belt, thus losing the title of “absolute.”
The 38-year-old Usyk has 23 wins (14 by knockout) in 23 fights. In his last fight, the Ukrainian defeated the British Tyson Fury in a rematch in December 2024.
The 27-year-old Dubois has 22 wins (21 by knockout) in 24 fights. The Briton, nicknamed “Dynamite,” has two defeats on his record – from Joe Joyce in 2020 and from Usyk in 2023. In his last fight, he knocked out his compatriot Anthony Joshua in September 2024.
