Daniel Dubois is set to challenge Oleksandr Usyk for the unified heavyweight titles in August of this year following a purse bid process.
Dubois staked his claim as mandatory challenger with a win over Trevor Bryan last year that saw him win the WBA’s Regular title.
When Usyk’s team failed to come to terms with Tyson Fury for an undisputed fight, the Ukrainian was ordered to begin facing mandatory challengers for his three belts, and the 25-year-old Brit was first up in the rotation.
Following a period of negotiations, the Ukrainian’s side called for a purse bid and it was held in Houston, Texas on May 25. K2 Promotions – headed by Usyk’s man, Alex Krassyuk – beat out Queensberry, who represent Dubois, to win.
Krassyuk put forward a bid of $8,057,000, dwarfing that of Frank Warren’s $5,620,050.
As per the rules, he was required to provide potential dates and locations for the bout, and did so by naming Manchester or Jeddah on August 8 and Poland on August 12 – the latter being the most likely.
The WBA sets a strict 75/25 split for champion versus challenger in mandatory defences, and so Dubois is set to earn just north of $2 million for this efforts.
It’s not the first time his earnings have reached seven figures – the Bryan fight, won by Don King in a similar fashion, saw him guaranteed $1,402,200. There were issues with payment following his victory.
In terms of competition, though, the Usyk fight is on another level. The elite Ukrainian gathered all of the belts in the cruiserweight ranks before moving up to topple Anthony Joshua for his unified belts.
He has an extreme drive to becoming four-belt champion in a second division, and if a fight with Fury is to remain on the table, Dubois – and anything else in between – is a must-win.