Anthony Joshua will face Daniel Dubois in an all-British showdown for the IBF world heavyweight title on September 21 after Oleksandr Usyk confirmed he was vacating the belt, it was announced on Wednesday.
Usyk, 37, became the first heavyweight to hold the IBF, WBO, WBA and WBC belts when he beat Tyson Fury on a split decision in Saudi Arabia last month.
The Ukrainian is set to face the British boxer in a rematch in December and is therefore unable to face Dubois, who would have been the mandatory challenger.
Usyk had previously requested that he not be stripped of the IBF belt so that he might still hold the title when he meets Fury again in Riyadh.
“Anthony and Daniel, I know the IBF title is important to you. It is my present to you on 21 September,” he said in a video posted on social media.
Britain’s Lennox Lewis was the last man to unify the major heavyweight belts — three at the time — prior to Usyk, in 1999.
Two-time…
Source: Guardian Newspaper
