Daniel Dubois: British heavyweight says he is 'bringing Oleksandr Usyk's titles home'

British heavyweight Daniel Dubois says he is "bringing Oleksandr Usyk's titles home" as the pair prepare for their fight on 26 August.

Ukraine's Usyk, 36, will defend his WBO, WBA (Super) and IBF titles against Dubois in Wroclaw, Poland at the 24,000-capacity Tarczynski Arena.

Dubois, 25, holds the WBA (Regular) belt and is the mandatory challenger in the bout.

"I'm 100% ready. We're ready to rumble - this is it," said Dubois.

"I'm bringing the titles back home - they're coming with me. It's my time. Usyk has been a great champion but everything with a beginning has to have an end."

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Dubois has won 19 fights, 18 by knockout, and been defeated once, last beating Kevin Lerena in December.

Usyk, who has won all 20 fights and will make a second defence of his unified title, was in a playful mood at the media conference, saying he feels "happy" and "hungry" before the bout.

"I think highly of my opponent. He's a nice man, a nice guy, a nice athlete," said Usyk.

"He's the mandatory challenger so he deserves it. All the respect for him, his team and people around him, but let's stop talking and see each other on 26 August."

Former featherweight world champion Naseem Hamed, whose son Aadam will make his debut on the undercard in Poland, was a constant feature in the news conference, warming immediately to Usyk's "fighting talk".

Originally scheduled for 12 August, the bout was pushed back by two weeks to more closely align with Ukraine's Independence Day, which falls on 24 August.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, more than one million Ukrainian refugees have relocated to Poland.

Uysk's promoter Alexander Krassyuk said they could not host the fight in Ukraine because of the war, and opted for Poland because the champion would feel like "the home fighter".

He referenced fellow Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko's 2011 WBC heavyweight title defence against Tomasz Adamek in the same city as inspiration.

Analysis - Timing is everything in boxing?

Usyk won the WBO, WBA (Super) and IBF titles off Anthony Joshua in 2021.

Dubois has been tipped for heavyweight stardom since making his debut as a teenager.

He has spent his whole career with Frank Warren's Queensberry and the promotion has now delivered Dubois' long-promised world title shot via a WBA mandatory process - surprisingly before Joe Joyce, who Dubois lost to in 2020.

Hopes were high it would be against fellow Britons like Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury, but it is against probably the division's most evasive champion in the ring.

Relaxed as ever at the media conference, Usyk has a small team with him, including security guards all dressed in black tops, caps and green cargo pants.

Usyk has the hopes of a nation on his shoulders, and while Dubois is tasked with spoiling the party, the Briton faces by far the best opponent of his career.

"I'm a big believer in timing in boxing, and I believe this is Daniel's time," Warren said.

But the gap between contender and champion is often enormous, and Dubois will have to produce a career-defining performance in August to bridge it.

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