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WBN can confirm that Daniel Dubois will defend his IBF heavyweight championship in Derek Chisora’s final fight.
Worldboxingnews.com learned Thursday from the International Boxing Federation that Dubois must agree to battle Chisora soon. A spokesperson informed WBN that Dubois will receive the order in the next few weeks.
“Yes, Derek Chisora is Daniel Dubois’ mandatory challenger, but the mandatory bout will be ordered on 4/22 [April 22],” an IBF spokesperson exclusively told World Boxing News.
“There is not enough time for an eliminator since Dubois’ mandatory is due on June 21,” they added.
The development is significant for Chisora, who has already announced that his 50th fight is his last. This means Chisora will have a third shot at landing the heavyweight crown before he walks away from the sport.
Chisora planned three more bouts before retirement after defeating Gerald Washington in August 2023 at the O2 Arena in London. The Washington clash was make or break for the Finchley man’s career after Tyson Fury gave him another significant beating in their third match-up eight months before.
Since then, Chisora has enjoyed a big fight renaissance. He defeated Joe Joyce before Otto Wallin in his last fight to put himself in a position to face Dubois. February’s unanimous decision victory over Wallin was an IBF eliminator, and it will bridge the gap to Dubois vs. Chisora.
‘WAR’ has fought for the WBC belt twice before, once against Vitali Klitschko in 2012 and again opposite Fury in 2023. Competing for the IBF heavyweight title this summer will be a first for the man who seems to have been around forever.
The top division picture will become clear after Dubois vs Chisora is secured.
An agreement means Dubois will be out of commission until the fall, leaving unified champion Oleksandr Usyk to defend his belts against WBO world interim champion Joseph Parker.
Anthony Joshua’s injury means those two contests are virtually set in stone. Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed Joshua will be unable to train for weeks, leaving London out of the running for rematches with Dubois or Parker.
Promoters on both sides will confirm more in due course, but for now, it seems like Dubois vs Chisora and Usyk vs Parker before the two winners meet in an undisputed unification later in the year.
Should Chisora beat Dubois, probably at Wembley Stadium or in Riyadh, it’s unlikely he’d hang up his gloves, especially with a four-belt encounter with Usyk on the horizon.
It’s been a long 18-year career for Chisora, who once went by the ‘Del Boy’ moniker as he made his way through the rankings.
From the David Haye fiasco, which culminated in Chisora getting knocked out at Upton Park, to several slugfests that were hard to watch, there’s never a dull moment when Derek is around.
British heavyweight boxing stands on the verge of losing one of its pillars of the last two decades over the summer. However, whether the 41-year-old will truly be able to walk away after another crack at the world title would remain to be seen.
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Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, an experienced boxing writer and World Boxing News Editor since 2010.
