Oleksandr Usyk has beaten five Brits in the last six years, including winning the unified heavyweight titles from Anthony Joshua and defending them against Daniel Dubois.
It gives the Ukrainian a unique insight into the all-English clash set for September 21 at Wembley Stadium.
He beat Joshua twice, both times over the distance, and then followed up with a stoppage against Dubois. Since then, he has won the fourth and final heavyweight belt from Tyson Fury, becoming the division’s first undisputed champion in two and a half decades.
In an interview with Boxing News not long after his fight with the younger Brit, Usyk said he thought ‘AJ’ would always be a level above.
His words ‘let him become the champion’ ring truer than anyone thought they might considering Usyk recently vacated the IBF belt – ‘gifted’ in his words – and allowed Dubois to be elevated to full champion.
It means his first defence will be against Joshua in front of 90,000+ fans at the national arena – an extreme test of the heart that many pundits once questioned.
With Usyk set to rematch Fury in Saudi Arabia later this year, it’s thought that the winner of Dubois-Joshua may be set up to face the winner there.
