The WBA has officially ordered Oleksandr Usyk to defend his ‘super’ heavyweight title against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.
Usyk is currently in possession of the WBA ‘super’ title along with the WBO and IBF titles following back-to-back victories over Anthony Joshua.
Dubois meanwhile holds the WBA’s secondary ‘regular’ title, a belt he picked up with a knockout victory over Trevor Bryan in June, recovering from three knockdowns to defend the strap against Kevin Lerena earlier this month.
However, it is unlikely at this stage that the order will affect plans for Usyk to first fight WBC champion Tyson Fury in their undisputed clash.
Talks for that fight, which will crown the division’s first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis, are already well underway. Dubois is also represented by Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren and Queensberry Promotions.
Furthermore, Dubois also suffered a knee injury in his victory over Lerena on the Fury vs Derek Chisora undercard on 3 December. His trainer Shane McGuigan suggested this week it could be May at the earliest before the Londoner is back out again.
The WBA’s decision to order the fight will seek to ensure Dubois is next in line for a mandatory title shot and further serve their plans to reduce its number of world titles.
The governing body last year eliminated its ‘interim’ titles and has sought to unify it’s ‘super’ and ‘regular’ titles with British fighter Leigh Wood officially declared their sole featherweight world champion this week after a long-running saga with Leo Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz had held the ‘super’ title since 2019 despite not competing in the division since then. Wood meanwhile was crowned ‘regular’ champion in June 2021.
Back at heavyweight, the IBF has also ordered Uysk to defend that belt against their mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic.
The WBA is likely to be first in line for a mandatory fight having not had theirs fulfilled since September 2018 when Anthony Joshua defended against Alexander Povetkin.
The IBF had their last heavyweight mandatory in December 2020, with Joshua again putting away Kubrat Pulev.
Usyk’s promoter believes the IBF ruling will have no bearing on Fury vs Usyk taking place in February or March next year.
‘At this stage I can anticipate that it will not influence the undisputed (fight) anyhow,’ Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk told Sky Sports in November.
‘We expect his next fight to be for the undisputed so most likely it will take place in the Middle East.’
Usyk was the last WBO mandatory challenger, taking the belts from Joshua in September last year.
Joe Joyce is the governing body’s new challenger and is also in the mix to fight the winner of Fury vs Usyk but the Putney heavyweight is likely to be third in line.
MORE : Tyson Fury reveals Wayne Rooney has accepted his offer to help him train for Oleksandr Usyk fight
MORE : Daniel Dubois set to undergo ligament scan after recovering from shock knockdowns to beat Kevin Lerena
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