Following his knockout defeat by Oleksandr Usyk under the Wembley arch in July, Daniel Dubois must now earn his way back into world title contention.
It is the second time Dubois has had to rebuild after losing to Usyk after coming up short in his first world title fight back in 2023. ‘Dynamite’ managed to re-establish himself, even going on to become a world champion in the process by picking up the IBF title.
He has been given the chance to restart his career after accepting a final eliminator against Frank Sanchez for the IBF belt – but what does his road back to a world championship look like?
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How has Daniel Dubois been given a final eliminator shot?
The IBF’s third-ranked contender Efe Ajagba turned down the chance for a rematch with fourth-rated Sanchez after losing to him in 2021, leading to Moses Itauma (placed No 5) being offered the title eliminator with the Cuban.
Itauma was focused on different opponents, and Richard Torrez Jr, the organisation’s sixth-ranked heavyweight, was the next fighter to be given the opportunity to face Sanchez.
After Torrez Jr turned down the Sanchez bout, Dubois was next in line, with the former IBF world champion jumping at the chance to secure a route back to a title fight.
However, whilst Dubois could be described as opportunistic, the Brit deserves credit for taking the most direct path back to a world title.
Dubois could have rebuilt against fighters lower down the rankings, keeping himself ticking over and one eye on the status of the heavyweight belts in the coming months.
Most of the division is jostling to be in position should undisputed champion Usyk decide to start vacating titles in order to pursue more lucrative fights. Rather than wait around, Dubois is heading straight into a tough fight.
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Frank Sanchez the first step on road back for Daniel Dubois
Frank Sanchez may not be a household name in the United Kingdom, nor the United States, but the Cuban has built up a solid record of 25 wins and one loss, 18 of his victories coming by way of stoppage.
Although his CV lacks big names aside from a comfortable points win over Efe Ajagba in 2021, Sanchez has clearly been avoided – as demonstrated by the host of fighters that turned down the chance to face the 33-year-old. A tricky opponent, Sanchez’s only bout against a world-level opponent ended in defeat, when now-WBC interim world champion Agit Kabayel secured a seventh-round KO win in 2024.
Still, Sanchez is somewhat of an unproven quality, with potential opponents wary of his knockout power. Dubois must be careful to avoid Sanchez’s heavy hands, having already lost three times by knockout.
Dubois will feel that his own knockout power is too much for Sanchez, who lacks experience against elite opposition. By taking a fight no one else is willing to choose, Dubois may be able to cut the queue and jump into world title contention just a fight after losing his belt.
Is Daniel Dubois on a collision course with Derek Chisora?
When the IBF first arranged a world title eliminator in June, there was confusion as Derek Chisora had become the organisation’s mandatory challenger earlier in the year. At the time, Chisora’s mandatory status should have set up a fight with Dubois, who held the IBF title.
However, Dubois’ plans to unify all four belts with Oleksandr Usyk took priority over a mandatory defence, leaving Chisora on the outside.
Chisora is still the highest ranked fighter with the IBF, sitting at No 2 – the organisation does not currently have a No 1 contender at heavyweight. Frank Warren, promoter of both Chisora and Dubois, has previously pondered that the IBF may order Chisora to fight again to preserve his mandatory status.
Chisora is rumoured to return before the end of 2025 on a Queensberry card slated for December 13. Victory for Chisora and Dubois in their next bouts could theoretically set up a clash between the two.
Long wait for Oleksandr Usyk
If Dubois’ ultimate goal is to face Usyk for a third time, he might be waiting for a while. Whilst not made clear publicly, the sanctioning bodies establish an order for their mandatory challengers when there is a unified, or in Uysk’s case, an undisputed champion. It has been made clear that the WBO is next up in the rotation, leading to Joseph Parker being ordered to face Usyk, only for the heavyweight king to ask for a delay to recover from injury.
WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel was spotted inside the ring after Usyk defeated Dubois at Wembley, hinting that he is next after Parker in the rotation, but there is no clear indication which sanctioning body is second in line.
Fabio Wardley holds the WBA interim title, and will face Parker on October 25, live on DAZN PPV. It is likely that the IBF would be last in rotation, considering that Usyk added the belt back to his collection in July. There is the possibility that Usyk chooses to vacate certain belts in order to chase more financially lucrative bouts – or retire entirely from the sport.
That would lead to interim title holders being upgraded to full champions.
With no interim champion installed by the IBF, Dubois would likely have to face another fighter highly-ranked by the sanctioning body in order to earn back his world title. In the meantime, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the IBF re-creates an interim title, just as they did when Dubois faced Filip Hrgovic in 2024. Fellow Brit Moses Itauma is highly ranked with the IBF, meaning we could see an all-British bout for interim champion status – or perhaps full world title honours – in 2026.
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