Usyk vs. Dubois - a Possibility!

Dubois can certainly make some entertaining fights if matched up against the right opponent. I give him Zero chance vs Usyk though, he's all wrong for Usyk.

 

Wilder is not the mandatory yet - still supposed to fight an eliminator vs Ruiz to become that.
The orgs aren't going to let him take a voluntary instead of his mandos (Dubois, Hrgovic) and I think he wants to keep his belts so that a future Fury fight would be for undisputed.

Wilder would be a much better fight than Dubois though, fairly risky for Usyk (or anyone).

I personally think the Hrgovic fight has some risk, even though of course from last performance Hrgovic will get shut out. But Hrgovic was a top amateur and this will be an amateur-like fight + Hrgovic is younger and perhaps more motivated.

 

Oh I see, you are talking about the WBA not the WBC (which is of course the one belt Usyk doesn't own) so I am indeed mistaken.

I guess that is a possibility, if Dubois pulls out due to injury and Bakole has a fight scheduled which he sticks to - that would make sense. I guess the thing is that a few factors have to come together for Wilder to get promoted.

 

Booo. Let's go WBA. (Can't believe I typed that.) Name a new mandatory.

Don't let them skip you.

 

I'm fine with Dubois or Hrgovic. I'm so tired of reading about and watching these up and coming heavyweights just for them to never get title shots because the big names do nothing but chase money fights and rematch the Chisoras and Whytes of the world. I want to see these guys mix it up.

 

Just a quick point on this, given Martin Bakole has been finding it hard to get any of the top guys to share a ring with him, wouldn't he just cancel the fight with Ihor Shevadzutskyi (maybe even pay him step aside). Kind of like Dillian Whyte did to get his WBC title shot when he cancelled the Wallin fight.

I really don't see Bakole not wanting to fight Usyk if Dubois is injured. It would be very surprising if he acquiesces to Wilder leap frogging him.

 

How deeply unsatisfying. Usyk UD. (winning every minute, every round)

 

When you've just gone thru infuriating negotiations that have fallen apart ...

And you're told you have to fight your mandatory ...

But he's hurt and would need a lot more time to get ready. (And, honestly, Dubious is probably just looking for a step aside fee himself because he sure as hell doesn't look ready for this) ...

And the next option is Bakole, who already has a deal with someone else, so Bakole will probably ask you for some step aside money to pay his opponent to walk away ...

And the third option is a guy you want to fight, who wants to fight you, and you'll make the most against him ...

That's typically when you go to org and say let us just fight the top available contender. Would you be okay with that? It's easier to make. We'll make more. And the other two guys can't sue you, because they all have their own injuries and entanglements.

The WBA isn't predictable. But I would truly be surprised if they, after ordering a mando ...voluntarily just let Usyk send them to the back of the queue again.

The WBA champ hasn't fought a WBA mandatory in five years (Joshua-Povetkin).

 

Bakole #2 is training for a fight on April 22nd.
Usyk has been in training for a fight that was predicted to be April 29th.
One week apart.

I have no issue with seeing Usyk fight Wilder (it's a good legacy fight). But if Bakole wants it, he should get it. Him taking step aside sounds like wishful thinking, though, as Dubois would still be ahead of him and Bakole would never get an opportunity like this again.

 

I get it.

But I'm sure Usyk's team doesn't want to pay a step aside to anyone. And they shouldn't have to, if Dubois is injured and Bakole already is under contract to fight someone else.

All Usyk's team should have to do is ask the WBA to let them fight the top available contender, who would be Wilder.

The WBA can change who their mandatory is.

Henry Akinwande was the WBA mandatory for Lennox Lewis when Lennox beat Holyfield. But Lewis didn't want to fight Akinwande again, and Henry had hepatitis, so Lennox said Henry is sick and tried to move on to the next org, and the WBA decided their new mandatory would be John Ruiz.

And a federal judge ruled that Lewis had agreed to fight the WBA's mandatory, not specifically Henry Akinwande by name.

So just because Akinwande couldn't fight, didn't mean Lewis got to move on. The WBA could name a new mandatory.

That's how Lewis lost his WBA belt.