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Oleksandr Usyk to be stripped of title as Brit can replace him in days after 'cheat' scandal

Oleksandr Usyk reacts after being knocked down by Daniel Dubois
Oleksandr Usyk reacts after being knocked down by Daniel Dubois -Credit:2023 Getty Images


Olexandr Usyk is set to be stripped of his IBF world heavyweight title in days, with British fighter Daniel Dubois to get a shot at winning it in little over a week.

With Tyson Fury set to trigger a rematch clause following last weekend's loss in Saudi Arabia, Usyk will have to relinquish the IBF crown. That's because Filip Hrgovic, the long-time mandatory challenger, will not wait for a contracted rematch with Fury to occur.

Usyk and Fury are scheduled to face off again in October, with Fury seeking revenge. However, the IBF title will be vacated before then and will be up for grabs when Hrgovic takes on Daniel Dubois on June 1. Anthony Joshua is expected to fight the winner of the Hrgovic-Dubois match.

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Dubois, 26, actually fought Usyk in August last year, losing in controversial fashion via a ninth round stoppage. The Brit floored Usyk in the fifth round in Poland but it was judged to be a low blow and Usyk was given almost four minutes to recover.

A furious Dubois called for "justice" in the aftermath, with promoter Frank Warren insisting the fight should be declared a no contest.

"This needs to go further, it needs to be pushed," Dubois said.

"I should be a world champion right now. It wasn't justice.

"It needs to be called out and go further than living this lie. They just cheated out there.

"I was thinking 'what's going on here, this is a blatant shot'," Dubois added about the punch that floored Usyk. "I told the referee I caught him and it wasn't low.

"It was just confusion at the time. I became disheartened and lost momentum after that, having to come back into the fight and try to push it.

"I was up against it, on enemy territory, but I wasn't out of my league. If that was in England that would be totally different. Circumstances make a big difference - home turf, home advantage."

Dubois vs Hrgovic will be held on the same night (Saturday, June 1) as Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia.