Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois could be heading to Poland in the summer. The undisputed heavyweight champion was recently ordered to face his WBA mandatory Dubois and is currently in the early stages of talks ahead of purse bids.
Fans had hoped to see Usyk square off with Tyson Fury next but after months of negotiations both parties were unable to come to terms. Usyk had agreed to give Fury a 70-30 lion’s share of the prize pot for the inaugural contest at Wembley Stadium, but problems arose over the rematch split.
According to boxing insider Mike Coppinger, Usyk wanted the split to be reversed if he won the first bout. Meanwhile, Fury refused to budge on anything less than 50-50 in the event of a defeat.
As a result, Usyk pulled out of discussions and will now box WBA (regular) champion Dubois next. Dubois and Usyk’s representatives are in constant talks every day regarding the fight, but no contracts have been signed as of yet.
However, Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk has confirmed that they have been exploring the possibility of hosting the fight in Poland. The K2 Promotions chief posted a photo of him and Polish promoter Andrzej Wasilewski to Instagram with the caption: “Seeing my brother #Andrzej Wasilewski to explore the opportunities for @usykaa vs @dynamite_daniel_dubois in Poland this summer.”
Wasilewski is the CEO of KnockOut Promotions and represents many top Polish boxers such as Lukasz Rozanski, Krzysztof Glowacki and Maciej Sulecki.
Delivering a further update on Usyk vs Dubois on Monday, Usyk’s promoter Alexander Krassyuk told BT Sport: “That’s what we’re working on now. I had conversations with George Warren yesterday, the day before yesterday, this morning, and we’re gonna have one tomorrow morning to try to find a solution.”
“If we don’t find a solution, the difference between the Tyson Fury and Dubois [negotiations is that] this agreement is regulated by the rules. So, if we don’t find the resolution and the contract is not signed, at the end of the day we have the purse bid.” Both parties now have until May 2 to avoid a purse bid.
While Usyk faces Dubois, Fury is also expected to be back in action soon. The Gypsy King recently teased that he is close to confirming a ‘monstrous’ and ‘imminent’ fight against a credible foe. Andy Ruiz Jr is understood to be the most likely opposition for the WBC champion.