Daniel Dubois’ immediate fighting future is now unclear following his withdrawal from an IBF final eliminator.
Dubois was last in action in July, when he lost his IBF heavyweight title to Oleksandr Usyk in their undisputed showdown at Wembley Stadium in London.
It was a dominant performance by the Ukrainian, who dictated proceedings from beginning to end on his way to a fifth round knockout win.
Prior to that, ‘DDD’ had been on a good run of form, claiming stoppage victories over Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic to become interim IBF champion, before being elevated to full champion and scoring the biggest win of his career when he knocked out countryman Anthony Joshua inside five rounds in September 2024.
Since the defeat to Usyk earlier this year however, there have been questions raised about the big-punching Brit, with it emerging he had a pre-fight party before that clash, and ended his relationship with his training team of Don Charles and Kieran Farrell post-fight. A ring return will go a long way to convince fans that he has what it takes to become a two-time world champion.
Dubois was expected get on that road via an ordered IBF final eliminator against Frank Sanchez, but it has now been confirmed that ‘DDD’ has pulled out of that contest.
The decision by Dubois comes just a few days after fellow Brit Fabio Wardley became the new WBO heavyweight champion when Usyk vacated that title, and with Wardley and Dubois both part of Frank Warren’s promotional company, it could lead to speculation from fans that a fight between the pair may happen next year.
As for Sanchez, he will be ordered to face the next available contender, having already had orders turned down from the likes of Moses Itauma and Efe Ajagba.
