Daniel Dubois, the IBF Heavyweight World Champion, is getting ready for a big fight but already has his sights set on future matchups.
Dubois won the interim IBF Heavyweight belt by beating Filip Hrgovic. He got bumped up to full champion when Oleksandr Usyk gave up the title to fight Tyson Fury again. In his first defense, Dubois knocked out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round.
Now, he's gearing up for a rematch with Usyk on July 19 at Wembley Stadium. This fight will be Dubois' first defense of his IBF Heavyweight World Championship. Usyk stopped Dubois in their first fight last year, so Dubois will be looking to even the score.
But Dubois isn't just focused on Usyk. He wants all the heavyweight belts and has his eye on a potential fight with Tyson Fury. Dubois said:
"I think he will come back. Seeing all the belts on the line, I think he'll fancy it. He'll come out [of retirement] for sure. That's what I want. We need the heavyweight division to be healthy, for us fighters to get up for a real mega fight like that. That would be a mega fight. That's what you want."
Dubois sees Usyk, Joshua, and Fury as the top guys to beat. He's eager to prove himself against them all, saying:
"Those are the top guys of their era. I need to show this is a new era, a new age, that there's a new heavyweight on the scene and his name is Daniel Dubois."
As for Fury, he said he was retiring in January after losing to Usyk for the second time. But he's been talking about fighting again. He's open to a third fight with Usyk and might fight Joshua if the price is right. Fury even said he'd "box the ears off" Dubois.
Fury announced he'd fight Usyk on April 18, but Usyk's team says that's not true. So, the heavyweight division is full of big names and potential fights, with Dubois right in the mix.
