Oleksandr Usyk, the reigning heavyweight boxing champion, plans to take an extended break after his 2024 victories over Tyson Fury, with no immediate contenders for his titles, while Daniel Dubois emerges as a potential future opponent pending his upcoming fight against Joseph Parker.
Oleksandr Usyk has more than earned a vacation. Seriously.
This top heavyweight boxer, holding three major championships, is eyeing an extended break as we head into 2025. After all, he fought twice in 2024, defeating Tyson Fury twice and solidifying his status as the champion and arguably boxing’s best heavyweight. Spending 24 rounds in the ring with one of this generation’s greatest fighters? Yeah, the Ukrainian fighter deserves some well-earned downtime.
“It’ll be a very long preparation,” Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas shared with Boxing Scene. “After another 12 rounds with Fury, he needs a good, long recovery.”
Who’s next in line for Usyk’s titles? No clear No. 1 contender yet, but Daniel Dubois seems to be leading the pack. However, he’s got his own match lined up against Joseph Parker in February.
Dubois? He tasted defeat at Usyk’s hands back in 2023 via a ninth-round knockout. The British-born heavyweight cried foul after a controversial punch dropped Usyk in the fifth round, deemed a low blow.
Right after Usyk’s second triumph over Fury in December, Dubois stormed the ring. Demanded a rematch! All this while having his February bout still on the calendar.
Should Dubois conquer Parker—after already knocking out Anthony Joshua last September—he’d become quite an intriguing opponent for Usyk. But let’s be real; that fight probably won’t happen until late 2025.
Usyk’s manager anticipates the reigning champ will return around “the end of July or August.” Yet, thoughts of a potential rematch aren’t even on the table because “Dubois has to beat Parker before he can even start thinking of [Usyk].”
Oh, and Usyk turns 38 this January. Despite that, he’s clearly established himself as the world’s best heavyweight. A flawless 23-0 record now boasts two wins over both Fury and Joshua, plus his past victory over Dubois.