Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois fight date announced for surprise venue with fans baffled at Frank Warren

OLEKSANDR USYK’S mandatory clash with Daniel Dubois is set to take place on August 12, it has been announced.

The heavyweight champ will defend his WBA, IBF and WBO titles with the fight set to take place in Poland.

Fans have been left surprised by the choice of location which was entirely in the control of Usyk‘s camp.

But that is currently the plan of the Ukrainian after his promoter, Alex Krassyuk, won the purses bid.

One baffled fan said: “Out of all places Poland?”

Others have suggested the location made sense given the difficulty of holding a fight in Ukraine given the ongoing war.

It is set to be Usyk’s first fight since last August when he beat Anthony Joshua for the second time to retain his heavyweight belts.

The 36-year-old has enjoyed a brilliant rise to the top of his weight division and holds a 20-0 record.

He will be the favourite to triumph over Brit boxer Dubois, whose only defeat came against Joe Joyce in 2020.

Triple D has otherwise won all 19 of his other fights, with his last victory coming against Kevin Lerena in December last year at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Reports have also suggested that the fighters will be taking home very different pay packets after the clash.

According to respected boxing journalist Dan Rafael there will be a 75/25 split in the fight purses.

It means Usyk is set to pocket just short of £5m while Dubois will take home around £1.6m.

The potential fight comes months after the negotiations for an undisputed bout between Usyk and Fury fell apart.

Between them the pair hold all of the belts in the heavyweight division and fans had been licking their lips at the prospect of seeing them in the ring together.

But after much social media name-calling, the negotiations came to nothing.

If Usyk beats Dubois, speculation is likely to begin again.