Oleksandr Usyk has relinquished his IBF heavyweight title, paving the way for Anthony Joshua to challenge for the championship.
The Ukrainian boxer announced to fans on social media that he was giving up his IBF belt just a month after defeating Tyson Fury to claim the undefeated heavyweight title, a move that will see Joshua face off against Daniel Dubois for the vacant title.
Under IBF rules, Usyk would be stripped of the belt unless he fought mandatory challenger Dubois, so he decided to vacate it.
“Anthony and Daniel, listen up,” Usyk said in a short video message, “I know the IBF title is important to you guys. Tell them, it’s my gift to you. It’s September 21st.”
Usyk also subtly criticised Fury in the caption accompanying the video, writing, “Hey @anthonyjoshua @DynamiteDubois the IBF belt is your gift on 9/21/2024. The world loves strong. Your friend, the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Oleksandr Usyk.”
According to the Mirror, Eddie Hearn previously said that Joshua’s path to a title shot would depend on the outcome of the Fury-Usyk fight if he beats Dubois.
But Hearn also acknowledged that a third fight between Fury and Usyk is unlikely, even if Fury equals their head-to-head record.
Usyk’s decision means Joshua will not be eligible for an interim challenger title, making his upcoming bout with Dubois extremely important. Joshua is arguably more versatile than Dubois at 34, but Mirror Sport boxing analyst Barry McGuigan believes Joshua has weaknesses that can be exploited.
Usyk relinquishing the title paves the way for Joshua to pursue a long-held ambition, especially after it emerged that Usyk had been considering a return to the cruiserweight division. After the rematch in December, Usyk spoke to Three Knockdown Rules about his plans.
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“After the rematch, I would like to go down to my weight class at cruiserweight. We’ve talked about it. I would like to go back to cruiserweight and go unbeaten at that division for the second time,” said the 37-year-old Usyk, who also voiced his aversion to gaining weight to face heavyweights like Joshua or Fury, saying: “For me, I don’t like it. Three times, cocktails, water, protein and bananas.”
With the fear of missing the fight against Usyk now behind him, Joshua can now fully focus on preparing for his next bout with Dubois without worrying about the end of his career. Hearn has hinted at a timeline for retirement regardless of Joshua’s track record.
“I think maybe the end of 2026,” Hearn suggested. “If he wins in September and beats Fury or Usyk and goes unbeaten, what else will he do? It could be next year, who knows. As long as he keeps performing he’ll want to keep going and right now he’s the greatest of all time. He wants legend, he wants greatness.”
Joshua steps into the ring with Dubois on a four-fight winning streak after two losses to Usyk, and a win could set up a showdown with Fury.
Following his bout with Francis Ngannou, Anthony Joshua is now eyeing a championship title shot against Daniel Dubois.
“I have to beat them one by one. It’s not going to be easy but that’s my mindset,” Joshua said. “So come on guys. He (Dubois) has been through tougher fights and he’s stronger. He’s come up the ladder and we’ll see what happens in the near future. Wembley, the O2, York Hall – wherever they give me the fight, I’m happy to fight. Whatever the venue, I’ll turn up and do my job.”