Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois are set to face off again on July 19 at Wembley Stadium. The rematch will decide the undisputed heavyweight championship, following their controversial first encounter last August.
Anthony Joshua, who has fought both men, shared his thoughts on the disputed body shot from their initial bout. Speaking to BoxNation, Joshua said:
"Probably legal. It's a fight, you get hit, you get hit round the belt, round the leg. He got hit and he went down. Legal."
The incident Joshua referred to happened in the fifth round of Usyk and Dubois' August 2023 clash. Dubois landed a body shot that floored Usyk, but the referee ruled it low. Usyk got time to recover and went on to win by knockout in the ninth round.
Since then, both fighters have stayed busy. Usyk solidified his status as undisputed heavyweight champion by beating Tyson Fury twice. He vacated the IBF belt but reclaimed his undisputed status in the Fury rematch.
Dubois bounced back from his loss to Usyk by claiming the vacant IBF title with a win over Filip Hrgovic. He followed that up with an impressive five-round victory over Anthony Joshua.
The July 19 rematch at Wembley Stadium has huge implications for the heavyweight division. The winner will have to deal with a queue of challengers. Joseph Parker stands as the WBO mandatory, Derek Chisora holds the IBF mandatory position, and Agit Kabayal ranks as the number one contender.
With so much on the line, fans can expect an explosive night of action when these two heavyweights step into the ring once again.
