Daniel Dubois isn’t trying to make his upcoming job any more complicated than it is.
The 25-year-old heavyweight contender from London will take a gargantuan step up in competition when he faces IBF, WBA, WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk on Aug. 26 at Wroclaw Stadium in Wroclaw, Poland.
Usyk, a former undisputed cruiserweight champion, earned the distinction as a unified heavyweight champion when he defeated Anthony Joshua by unanimous decision in September of 2021 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The Ukrainian then followed that up with another win over Joshua, via split decision, at Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Usyk was then engaged in lengthy talks to face WBC titlist Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship but the two sides failed to reach a deal. Fury is preparing to face former UFC champion (and boxing newbie) Francis Ngannou on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A heavy underdog, Dubois will look to capitalize on the momentum he has built (four consecutive wins) since suffering a stoppage loss to countryman Joe Joyce in 2020.
Dubois is banking on his power and size to overwhelm one of the quickest and most mobile of fighters in the heavyweight ranks.
“I feel like he’s a mover, so we’ve got to cut down the ring,” Dubois said of his strategy against Usyk in an interview with Pro Boxing Fans. “He’s a good mover so that’s the main thing and just fight normally. He’s a southpaw and all that but you’ve got to fight. It’s a fight at the end of the day. So just punch him in the face—his head’s not going to be southpaw, is it?
“Yeah, opening up on him [is the plan],” Dubois continued. “Opening up on him, being aggressive. Everything that we’ve worked on in camp, just unleashing it on him.
“I just got to land on his little head. Keep landing on his little head, bang him up. He’s a cruiserweight. It’s not complicated for me. It’s boxing, I’ve done this my whole life. This is the right moment for me. I’m 25 now. I’ve been through wars, so I need to be a veteran in this fight.”
By Sean Nam