"There is no longer a mandatory challenger". The Usyk-Fury rematch took an unexpected turn

The sensational victory of British heavyweight Daniel DuBois (21-2, 20 KOs) over unbeaten Croatian Filip Hrgovic (17-1, 14 KOs) in the fight for the IBF interim heavyweight championship has confused the organizers of the fight for the IBF belt. Insider Michael Benson drew attention to the unexpected turn in the situation with the Usyk-Fury rematch.

Benson recalled that Hrgovic, being a mandatory challenger, had been waiting for several years for the opportunity to fight for a full title. It was Hrgovic's position that was the main obstacle to leaving all four belts on the horse of the rematch between Usyk and Fury.

"It's interesting to see what the IBF will do now. They no longer have a mandatory challenger who has been waiting for two years, so maybe the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will be for the absolute championship again," Benson wrote on his social media account X.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, on May 18 in Riyadh, Usyk defeated Fury and became the owner of the WBA, WBO, IBF and WBC heavyweight belts.

On May 19, it became known that Usyk would only remain the absolute champion until June 1, 2024, as his mandatory IBF title defense against Filip Hrgovic was overdue.

Usyk's team has officially filed a request to keep the title for a rematch with Fury. A few days ago, the exact date of the second fight between the Ukrainian and British boxers became known. The place of the battle remained the same - Riyadh, Arabia.

Former boxer David Haye predicted that there would be no rematch between the Ukrainian and Fury. His compatriot Dereck Chisora started rumors that Oleksandr would return to the heavyweight division.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, artificial intelligence has made a forecast for the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury. It also revealed the reason for the Ukrainian's suspension from boxing.

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