The two fighters first met in August 2023 in Poland. Usyk won that bout by knockout in the 9th round, but not before Dubois made history by knocking down the Ukrainian for the first time in his professional career. That knockdown was controversial, as the body shot was ruled low.
Since then, Usyk has had a busy schedule. He beat Anthony Joshua twice and Tyson Fury twice, but recently vacated his IBF belt before a rematch with Fury. Dubois, on the other hand, has been on a roll. He won the IBF belt after knocking out Filip Hrgovic and retained it with a knockout win over Joshua in September.
John Fury, father of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, shared his thoughts on the upcoming rematch. He thinks the timing is right for Dubois to become a multi-belt champion.
"Good luck to Oleksandr Usyk, but again, he's going to go on too long. I just see Daniel Dubois becoming a multi-belt champion. Because how many fights have you got in you? You come up from cruiserweight to heavyweight, you've got these big men banging away at you. He's only got to walk into one."
Fury points out that Usyk is 38-39 years old and has had "the tank emptied twice by the Gypsy King". He believes Dubois, with his big punching power and current momentum, could capitalize on this.
Reflecting on Dubois' recent fight with Joshua, Fury noted it wasn't all smooth sailing. "AJ hurt him. It was touch and go that fight until he landed that shot, because I actually thought when AJ rushed in to get him he hurt him," he said.
The heavyweight division is bustling with contenders waiting for their shot at a world title. WBO mandatory Joseph Parker, IBF mandatory Derek Chisora, and WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel are all in line for potential title fights.
The rematch between Usyk and Dubois will be a pivotal moment in the heavyweight division. Will Usyk's experience and skill prevail, or will Dubois' power and momentum lead him to victory? We'll find out on July 19 at Wembley Stadium.