Dubois retains title and welcomes Usyk trilogy fight

Daniel Dubois retained the WBO heavyweight title with a second-round stoppage of Fabio Wardley and said he would welcome a third fight with Oleksandr Usyk. Dubois, who has been stopped by Usyk twice, said he believes he would win a trilogy bout after learning from those defeats. The victory in their rematch on Saturday, October 17, renewed attention on possible heavyweight title unifications. Usyk has vacated world titles, and Dubois is among several champions seeking to collect more belts. He has also expressed interest in fighting WBC champion Agit Kabayel, saying he would face whoever is next in line. Promoter Frank Warren expects the process of crowning a new undisputed heavyweight champion to take about 18 months. He hopes at least one unification bout can take place in the first quarter of 2027, though the leading contenders have other commitments and mandatory fights to address. IBF champion Filip Hrgovic called for a rematch with Dubois after the fighters faced off in the ring following the Wardley bout. Hrgovic proposed March, but no agreement was announced. He said he expects Dubois to seem slower after Hrgovic’s recent fight with Moses Itauma and described a plan to...