OLEKSANDR USYK has been ordered to face Daniel Dubois NEXT following the collapse of his undisputed clash with Tyson Fury.
The Ukrainian, 35, looked set to take on Fury for all four world heavyweight titles before negotiations broke down last month.
Now Usyk is set to fulfil his mandatory obligations by taking on WBA regular champion Dubois.
The Brit, 25, has bounced back from defeat to Joe Joyce with four successive stoppage wins.
And he is now in line for a shot at unified champ Usyk – who boasts a perfect professional record of 20 wins and no defeats.
The WBA announced on Monday: “The WBA Championships Committee ordered the bout between Heavyweight Super Champion Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois.
READ MORE IN BOXING
“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.”
Fans have been left bitterly disappointed by the announcement as they fear Usyk will comfortably deal with Dubois.
Reacting on social media, one person said: “Daniel 🤷🏼♂️ there’s others who deserve the opportunity before he does.”
Another added: “Literally no one wants to see this.”
Most read in Boxing
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST ONLINE CASINOS FOR 2023
And a third responded: “Dubois didn’t deserve this fight.”
Dubois was unconvincing last time out against Kevin Lerena as he was dropped three times in the first round before recovering to secure a third-round stoppage.
But the 25-year-old announced on Twitter that he is up for the challenge.
He tweeted: “Time to get what I’ve been working for my whole life.
“@usykaa you are a good champion but nobody has hit you like I will.
“See you soon. #AndTheNew.”
Usyk’s last fight saw him beat Anthony Joshua for a second successive time in Saudi Arabia in August last year.
Joshua recently claimed Usyk pulled out of negotiations with Fury after reading about The Gypsy King’s mind games in his book.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk