Nigerian British boxer Anthony Joshua will face Daniel Dubois in an all-British showdown for the IBF World Heavyweight title at Wembley on September 21.
Undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk ‘vacated the belt’ on Tuesday and interim champion Dubois, 26, was elevated to champion status as a result, BBC has reported.
Dubois is the IBF’s mandatory challenger and it was announced on Wednesday that he will go up against Joshua.
Ukrainian Usyk initially requested not to be stripped of the IBF belt so the undisputed title could remain on the line when he faces Britain’s Tyson Fury in a rematch on 21 December, but then changed his mind.
Usyk became the first heavyweight to hold the IBF, WBO, WBA and WBC belts when he beat Tyson Fury on a split decision in Saudi Arabia last month.
“Anthony and Daniel, listen. I know the IBF title is important to you. It is my present to you on September 21,” Usyk said in a video posted on social media on Tuesday.
Britain’s Lennox Lewis was the last man to unify the major heavyweight belts, three at the time prior to Usyk, in 1999.
Thirty-four years old Joshua, a two-time world champion has 28 victories and three losses during his career while Dubois has won 21 of his 23 fights.
