Usyk faced a major setup in the battle for the undisputed championship

WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) will not be able to hold a second fight for the title in the near future. IBF champion Daniel DuBois (22-2, 21 KOs) withdrew from his fight against interim WBO champion Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs).

The Dubois – Parker fight was supposed to take place in Riyadh on February 22, but the 27-year-old Briton contracted a viral infection and refused to enter the ring. He will be replaced by Congolese Martin Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs).

It's worth noting that the weather in the Saudi capital is quite cold for boxing matches, and the organizers hold all the events outdoors in the evening.

This may be what caused Daniel's illness. Many of the show's participants came to the open training session wearing hats and gloves.

It is worth noting that the main event of the evening of February 22 is a rematch for the title of absolute world light heavyweight champion between the current champion Artur Beterbiev and title challenger Dmitry Bivol.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, in June 2024, Usyk relinquished his International Boxing Federation (IBF) title and the belt was put up for grabs in the Dubois – Joshua fight. On September 22 last year, Dubois inflicted a sensational defeat on Joshua, knocking out his compatriot in the fifth round.

On December 22, 2024, after his second victory over Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk said he was ready to fight Daniel Dubois when he entered the ring and demanded a rematch with the Ukrainian.

It should be noted that Oleksandr and Daniel fought in August 2023 in Warsaw. Back then, the Ukrainian won by TKO in the ninth round, while the Briton scored a punch below the belt. After the fight, Dubois' team appealed the rejected result.

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