Their initial encounter happened when Usyk was the unified champion, having beaten Anthony Joshua twice. During that fight, Dubois knocked Usyk down, but the referee ruled it a low blow. Usyk got time to recover and went on to stop Dubois in the 9th round.
Since then, Usyk's career has soared. He beat Tyson Fury to become the undisputed champion. He had to give up the IBF belt for a Fury rematch, which he won. Now, he wants to win back that IBF belt from Dubois.
Dubois hasn't been idle either. He grabbed the vacant IBF belt by stopping Filip Hrgovic. He then defended it successfully, knocking out Anthony Joshua in September.
Martin Bakole, who claims he's stopped both fighters in sparring, shared his thoughts on the rematch in an interview with iFL TV. He's picking Usyk to win.
"Usyk beats everyone except me. He's got the boxing brain and movement. Dubois doesn't know how to cut off the ring. He won't change his style."
Bakole also shared some surprising views on other heavyweights:
"Deontay Wilder is done. I was surprised Usyk beat 'The Gypsy King' twice. Joshua is tough but doesn't know how to cut the ring."
The build-up to the fight has already gotten heated. At their first face-off, Dubois pushed Usyk in the chest. They argued about Usyk 'conning the referee' regarding the low blow in their first fight.
Usyk will aim for a clearer win this time around, hoping to avoid any controversy. The stage is set for an intense rematch between these two heavyweight titans.