Anthony Joshua will face fellow Briton Daniel Dubois for the IBF heavyweight title at Wembley Stadium on September 21.
Reigning champion Oleksandr Usyk vacated his belt on Tuesday, resulting in interim champion Dubois, 26, being promoted to champion.
The 34-year-old two-time world champion Joshua has won four straight fights and has three stoppage victories in his past three bouts.
Dubois has won his last two bouts, beating Jarrell Miller in December and Filip Hrgovic this month to become interim champion.
Ukraine’s Usyk initially asked not to be stripped of his IBF belt so he could fight for his unbeaten title in a rematch against Britain’s Tyson Fury on December 21, but then changed his mind.
“Anthony and Daniel, I know the IBF title means a lot to you. It’s a gift to you on September 21st,” Usyk said in a video message to X.
Dubois controversially lost to Usyk in his first world title challenge in August.
Dubois knocked Usyk down with a punch that the referee ruled a low blow in the fifth round and then lost by stoppage in the ninth round.
Dubois has won 21 of his 23 fights, while Joshua has lost 28-3. The pair have a combined 45 knockouts.
This will be Joshua’s fourth bout and third time in the main event, while Dubois will be competing in a main event for the first time in front of a crowd of more than 60,000.
The winner will be in prime position to face the winner of Usyk vs Fury.
Image source, Getty Images
Analysis – Big boxing returns to the UK
BBC sports reporter Kal Sajjad
From Joe Bugner vs Henry Cooper to Lennox Lewis vs Frank Bruno, there’s something a little special about a British heavyweight bout.
This latest edition will be no exception, marking the return of the big stadium clash in the UK.
Joshua will be fighting in his home country after wins over Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia, while Dubois’ previous two bouts also took place in Riyadh.
Few heavyweight boxers are as experienced as the 26-year-old Dubois, and he has come a long way since his 10th-round stoppage loss to Joe Joyce in 2020.
After the match, Dubois was unfairly criticized by some as a “careless player,” and doctors pointed out that he could have lost his eyesight if the match had continued.
He may become a world champion for the first time, but his status will only be truly established when he faces Joshua.
Losses to Joyce and Usyk are now firmly in the past and, despite being underdogs, Dubois will be revitalised by his win over Hrgovic and feel he has what it takes to beat Joshua and become Britain’s poster boy in the division.
But Joshua is also enjoying a resurgence, with the 2012 Olympic Golden Boy successfully silencing his critics with three consecutive stoppage victories.