Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois are set to face off again in a heavyweight title rematch on July 19 at Wembley Stadium. The fighters will compete for the WBO, WBA, and IBF belts in a follow-up to their August 2023 bout.
Former super-middleweight champion Carl Froch believes Usyk will win, but he's not ruling out an upset. Speaking on the Sporting Talk program, Froch gave his thoughts on the matchup.
"Can he shock the world? In a word, yes, he can, because Usyk is 38, so I've been 38, nine years ago, but I know how it feels. I retired at 36, I was a month away from being 37 when I chinned Groves at Wembley in front of 80,000 fans and went on to become an International Boxing Hall of Famer."
Froch pointed out that age could be a factor for Usyk, who's coming off two wins against Tyson Fury to become the undisputed champion. He recently gave up the IBF title.
"He's still got a mind that's slowing down, still got reflexes that are diminishing, still got old joints and old bones, hundreds of fights in the amateur."
On the other hand, Dubois has been on a roll since losing to Usyk by knockout in the ninth round of their first fight. He's won the IBF title with a knockout over Filip Hrgovic and defended it by stopping Anthony Joshua. He also looked good against Jarrell Miller.
"Dubois is young. The first fight was quite close when Dubois was unsure of himself. Dubois has gone and flattened 'AJ', had a couple of fights against Jarrell Miller and looked good against Hrgovic. You've got to say now Dubois is a machine and time waits for no man."
Despite Dubois' improvements, Froch still sees Usyk as the favorite, but only slightly.
"It's exciting, good fight, you've got to make Usyk the favourite, but it's a fight Dubois can win. I don't think Usyk should keep fighting. If I was gunna put a percentage on it, I would say it's closer to even, but I give Usyk the edge, 55-45%."
The winner of this bout will have a big fight on the horizon. Joseph Parker is the WBO mandatory challenger and could be next in line for a shot at all four heavyweight belts.
