Shannon Briggs is confident he knows what will happen when Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois fight later this summer.
Right now, all four major belts are spread between these two men. Ukrainian southpaw Usyk has three having taken them off Anthony Joshua back in 2021, then defended them in a rematch the following year.
In May last year, he stepped into the ring with Tyson Fury and again came out the points winner after 12 rounds. In December, he and Fury went at it again and once more it was the former undisputed cruiserweight who prevailed, which sent ‘The Gypsy King’ into his latest retirement.
In between the fights with the two Brits, he fought another, Dubois, in August 2023. ‘DDD’ started well and landed a shot in the fifth round that sent Usyk to the canvas for the first time in his professional career. However, it was ruled a low blow, and he was given plenty of time to recover, which he duly did.
As the 9th round came around, Usyk fully imposed himself and stopped Dubois. The Brit has gone on to pick up the IBF belt Usyk vacated ahead of his Fury rematch. Since then, he has defended it with an impressive knockout of former two-time world champion Joshua in September 2024.
Speaking to iFL TV, former world heavyweight champion Briggs was asked who he fancies when the pair meet on July 19.
“I like Usyk.”
He is not alone in this assessment, with Tony Bellew also coming out to back the Ukrainian and agreeing with the low blow ruling in the first fight.
