Oleksandr Usyk's historic victory over Tyson Fury to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis will be short-lived, as the Ukrainian is set to be stripped of his IBF title within the next two weeks.
The IBF is expected to order a mandatory defence, with Filip Hrgovic the mandatory challenger. Hrgovic is scheduled to fight Daniel Dubois on 1 June 2024 in Saudi Arabia, a bout that could now be for the IBF belt. Anthony Joshua is slated to face the winner in September as he pursues a third world title.
Usyk won the IBF belt by unanimous decision against Anthony Joshua in 2021. However, with a rematch clause triggered by Fury for October, the IBF will likely force Usyk to vacate rather than delay the mandatory defence.
Fury has confirmed his intention to invoke the rematch clause, stating: 'We go back home to our families and we run it back in October.' Promoter Frank Warren urged caution, saying: 'If you're going to retire, don't retire and then say you want to continue back in a month's time.'
