The WBA has announced that Oleksandr Usyk must face mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.
The Ukrainian defended his three heavyweight championships against Anthony Joshua in a rematch in August before negotiating with Tyson Fury for a fight that would unify the division.
It was anticipated that Usyk would fight Dubois next after being unable to reach an agreement with Fury for a contest that would have crowned the first unified heavyweight champion since 2000.
The WBA Championships Committee ordered the bout between Heavyweight Super Champion Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois.
— WBA Boxing (@WBABoxing) April 3, 2023
The organization sent the communication to the parties today with a 30-day negotiation period starting on April 4 and ending on May 2 #UsykDubois
On Monday, the WBA wrote on Twitter: “The WBA Championships Committee ordered the bout between Heavyweight Super Champion Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois.
“The organisation sent the communication to the parties today with a 30-day negotiation period starting on April 4 and ending on May 2.”
Usyk is the holder of the WBA, WBO and IBF titles and, with the rotational agreement between the government bodies, Dubois is the first in line for his shot.