Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois will face off in a highly-charged heavyweight rematch on July 19 at Wembley Stadium. The fight comes almost exactly two years after their first controversial meeting.
In their initial clash, Usyk secured a ninth-round knockout victory. But the fight wasn't without drama. In the fifth round, Dubois landed a body shot that put Usyk on the canvas for several minutes. The referee judged it a low blow, a decision that Dubois' team unsuccessfully appealed, claiming Usyk had conned the referee to buy recovery time.
Since then, Usyk has become the undisputed champion and beaten Tyson Fury twice. Dubois picked up the IBF belt Usyk vacated and scored an impressive stoppage win over Anthony Joshua last September.
Former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton shared his thoughts on the rematch with Vegas Insider. He finds it hard to pick a winner.
"Daniel Dubois is one hell of a fighter. He looked like he had hurt Usyk in the first fight. Usyk deserves to be number one in the division, he's beaten Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. But if I had to bet my house, I wouldn't say it's a foregone conclusion, especially with Daniel's confidence."
Usyk and Dubois are the two form men in the heavyweight division right now. The winner of this bout may have to make an immediate title defense against Joseph Parker, a former belt holder and the WBO mandatory challenger.
This rematch promises to be an exciting clash between two top heavyweights. With Dubois' newfound confidence from his AJ win and Usyk's proven track record, fans can expect a thrilling fight come July 19.
