Oleksandr Usyk Targets One Man After Latest Shift In The Heavyweight Division: “I’m Ready”

Oleksandr Usyk is in the mood for his next challenge after a big weekend for heavyweight boxing.

The latest Riyadh Season card featured two heavyweight bouts that saw big shifts in who is up next in terms of world title shots.

Agit Kabayel survived a scare to chop down Zhilei Zhang with body shots, winning the WBC Interim Title and putting himself first in the queue with that sanctioning body for Usyk, who also holds the WBA and WBO belts.

Joseph Parker faced late-replacement Martin Bakole when IBF Champion Daniel Dubois was forced to pull out due to illness, stopping the under-prepared African giant in two rounds to retain his WBO Interim belt.

Speaking to Boxing King Media in the aftermath of the card for which he was ringside, Usyk said that he wants to go straight into a fight with Dubois in an attempt to become two-time undisputed champion in the division.

“I want my next fight with Daniel Dubois. Undisputed. London, Riyadh, doesn’t matter. I’m ready, bro.”

How quickly Dubois will get back to training remains to be seen as he recovers from the viral infection that ruled him out of the Parker match-up.

Many fans will call for that bout to be rescheduled, however it was a voluntary defence and there may not be any requirement on the champion’s part to do so. He does not currently have a mandatory challenger, which was set to be decided in May in a final eliminator between Bakole and Efe Ajagba. It is understood that fight will go ahead but no longer carry the same relevance.

Usyk beat Dubois back in 2023 by stoppage, but the Brit’s team have always felt hard done by due to a low blow that sent the Ukrainian to the canvas – a shot they feel was legal and may have ended the fight but was help up as the correct decision after a WBA investigation.