Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois Set to Achieve Big at the Expense of Oleksandr Usyk’s Bad Luck

In Queensbury vs. Matchroom Boxing‘s 5 against 5, apart from the Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang fight, another heavyweight attraction awaits fans. The clash features 31-year-old Filip Hrgovic, who will face former WBA (regular) title holder Daniel Dubois. The match seems to have attracted significant attention on account of balancing the title equation that follows Oleksandr Usyk‘s triumph as an undisputed champion. The title configuration of the heavyweight division has now reached a stage where one man’s misfortune presents another with an opportunity.

Their match was initially slated as an IBF mandatory. However, per the latest developments, it appears that they will fight for the interim IBF title now. Usyk is a four-belt-era undisputed title holder. It basically means he has the WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF belts. Per the latest news, tomorrow’s winner at the Kingdom Arena might stand a chance at elevation to the full IBF championship title. But there’s a catch. The change happens in a scenario when ‘The Cat’ either vacates the title or the sanctioning body strips him of it.

Not Going to be the Shortest-Tenured Undisputed Champion—Oleksandr Usyk

“Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois on Saturday night will now be for the IBF ‘interim’ heavyweight belt, meaning the winner may well end up being upgraded to become full IBF heavyweight world champion if Oleksandr Usyk is stripped/vacates in the coming months,” reads the update from talkSPORT‘s Michael Benson.

Two weeks ago, Oleksandr Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the century. At Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena, he defeated Tyson Fury by a split decision. The ‘Ring of Fire’ on May 17 reportedly came about after the mandatory title fight for the IBF belt that Usyk already held as a unified heavyweight champion was put on hold. According to the article on talks SPORT, the condition agreed upon was that the winner of the undisputed battle would face Filip Hrgovic at the earliest. Since Usyk became the new champion, most thought that he would vacate the IBF title.

Unfortunately, the tentative clash was put to the backburner. Why? Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, as part of the megafight deal, had seemingly agreed upon a rematch. Expectedly, after his loss, the Mancunian invoked the rematch clause. Thus, it became binding on the Ukrainian champion to fulfill the requirements of Fury-Usyk 2.

On account of a champion not defending a title, usually, the sanctioning body strips him of the title. The IBF could follow through on the measure against Oleksandr Usyk in the coming months.

Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois, Who Dares Take Away a Belt From ‘The Cat’

However, the Olympic gold medalist and his team reportedly filed an appeal seeking an exception to retain his IBF championship belt. Subsequently, Usyk seems to have received a medical suspension from the Boxing Commission as well. It’s not clear which commission took the action. Some sources mention the Saudi Arabia Boxing Commission. Whereas the screen on ‘Boxrec’ displays the message, “suspended UAE Boxing Commission until 2024-07-02.”

It reportedly comes on account of the injuries he sustained during the ‘Ring of Fire’. Now regulations stipulate that a boxer cannot be stripped of his title if he is unable to defend it. So basically, it has rendered the Filip Hrgovic-Daniel Dubois fight just another title eliminator for the moment.

But the situation is not all gloomy. The new decision could be a welcome surprise. The interim IBF heavyweight champion still has a chance to become a full champion. Once Usyk’s suspension is over, he would still have to either vacate the title or be stripped of it.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk now have a date for their rematch: December 21. So there is a good chance the Ukrainian icon might enter the ring with all the belts in hand. It could be possible on account of a new variable entering the equation. There’s a high possibility that, based on who wins tomorrow, IBF’s third-ranked Anthony Joshua could have his year’s second fight against either Filip Hrgovic or Daniel Dubois.

What do you think of the new changes introduced to the IBF’s heavyweight title? Please share your views with us in the comments below.