Daniel Dubois Wants Oleksandr Usyk Again — But the Heavyweight Champion Must Earn the Trilogy

Daniel Dubois needed less than two rounds to remind the heavyweight division why overlooking him remains dangerous.

In his October 17 rematch with Fabio Wardley at London’s O2 Arena, Dubois scored a knockdown in the opening round and continued applying pressure until Wardley’s trainer, Ben Davison, threw in the towel during the second. According to Sky Sports, the emphatic stoppage allowed Dubois to retain his WBO heavyweight title and reinforce his position as one of the division’s leading champions.

The Ring lists Dubois at 24-3 with 23 knockouts following the victory, while Wardley fell to 20-2-1 with 19 knockouts. Those numbers reflect the defining quality of Dubois’ career: when he wins, he rarely leaves the result in the judges’ hands.

After dispatching Wardley, Dubois immediately began looking toward bigger targets. He told Sky Sports that he would “definitely” welcome a third fight with Oleksandr Usyk and confidently predicted, “We’re coming out on top this time.”

That is an ambitious declaration from a champion whose momentum has been restored. It is not yet a convincing argument for another Usyk fight.

Dubois has earned access to major opportunities by rebuilding his career and capturing the WBO title. But championship status cannot erase the fact that Usyk has already stopped him twice. If Dubois wants the trilogy to be treated as a serious competitive demand rather than another lucrative callout, his next fight must demonstrate that something meaningful has changed.

Usyk Has Already Answered the Dubois Question Twice

There was a legitimate reason for Dubois to receive a second opportunity against Usyk.

Their first meeting in August 2023 ended with Usyk stopping Dubois in the ninth round, according to The Ring. That fight remained controversial because of the fifth-round punch from Dubois that was ruled a low blow. Usyk received several minutes to recover, while Dubois and his team maintained that the shot should have been considered legal.

The dispute created unfinished business. Dubois could argue that the most important moment of the fight had been decided by an officiating call, and supporters of a rematch could reasonably wonder whether he had been denied a knockout victory.

By the time the two met again in July 2025, Dubois had also strengthened his position through performances inside the ring. The rematch offered him an opportunity to remove the controversy, defeat Usyk conclusively and prove that his confidence was supported by genuine development.

Instead, Usyk stopped him again.

The Ring records the second fight as a fifth-round stoppage victory for Usyk. Whatever uncertainty remained after their first meeting became much harder to sustain once Usyk defeated Dubois more quickly in the rematch.

That history matters when evaluating the latest callout. Dubois is not an overlooked challenger seeking his first opportunity against the division’s established standard. He has already received two chances and been stopped in both.

A third fight cannot be justified solely by pointing to the belt around Dubois’ waist.

Usyk holds the stronger competitive argument because he has repeatedly solved the matchup. Dubois may believe he can produce a different result, but belief is expected from an elite fighter. The heavyweight division needs evidence that a trilogy would offer something substantially different from the first two fights.

The Wardley Stoppage Restored Momentum, Not the Usyk Matchup

Dubois deserves full credit for the way he handled Wardley.

Wardley entered the rematch with legitimate power and enough familiarity with Dubois to understand the threat in front of him. Dubois did not allow that familiarity to become confidence. He established control quickly, scored the opening-round knockdown and forced the stoppage before Wardley could settle into the fight.

The result was especially valuable because Dubois had defeated Wardley in the 11th round of their first meeting on May 9, 2026, to win the WBO title, as recorded by the WBO and The Ring. By producing a much earlier finish in the rematch, Dubois showed that he could make a decisive statement against an opponent he had already beaten.

What the victory changes is important. Dubois retained his championship, added another stoppage to his record and positioned himself for a major fight in 2027. He also reminded the division that his combination of power, pressure and finishing instinct can punish any heavyweight who gives him an opening.

What it does not change is equally important.

Wardley is not Usyk. Stopping him in two rounds does not demonstrate that Dubois has learned how to cut off Usyk’s movement, disrupt his rhythm or remain composed when the Ukrainian begins controlling distance and timing. It does not show that Dubois can maintain his tactical discipline against an opponent who has already exposed him twice.

One dominant title defense can restore momentum without resolving every weakness revealed by previous defeats.

That distinction should not be treated as disrespect toward Wardley. Dubois defeated the opponent in front of him in devastating fashion, and the performance deserves to be recognized accordingly. The problem comes when a victory over one fighter is presented as automatic proof that an entirely different matchup has changed.

Dubois has reopened the conversation.

He has not settled it.

Hrgovic, Kabayel or Itauma Could Strengthen Dubois’ Case

The good news for Dubois is that he has several credible routes to earning the trilogy.

Boxing News reported that Dubois used his post-fight press conference to call for a rematch and title unification with IBF champion Filip Hrgovic. That matchup would carry both championship significance and relevant history.

Dubois defeated Hrgovic by an eighth-round stoppage in June 2024 after Hrgovic could not continue because of cuts, according to Boxing News. A rematch would allow Dubois to pursue another title while attempting to produce a victory that leaves less room for debate. Beating Hrgovic again would strengthen Dubois’ standing in the division and demonstrate that he can sustain his resurgence against another recognized champion.

Agit Kabayel represents another possibility. When Sky Sports asked Dubois about other champions, he said he had heard discussion of WBC champion Kabayel but was prepared to fight whoever came next and offered the best financial opportunity.

That is understandable from a business perspective. Heavyweight careers can turn quickly, and champions are entitled to consider the value attached to the risks they accept. But if Dubois’ stated priority is proving that he can defeat Usyk, then competitive value must matter alongside financial value.

A victory over Kabayel would provide a powerful argument. It would add another championship to Dubois’ position and require him to overcome a high-level opponent with a different set of tactical demands.

Moses Itauma may be the most dangerous route of all. The WBO’s champion listing identifies Itauma as Dubois’ next mandatory challenger, although that listing does not establish that Itauma will necessarily be Dubois’ next opponent. Negotiations, unification opportunities and sanctioning-body decisions could all affect what happens.

Still, a defense against Itauma would offer exactly the kind of evidence Dubois needs. Itauma would bring speed, ambition and the pressure of a challenger attempting to seize control of the division’s future. Successfully defending against that threat would prove more than defeating a familiar opponent in Wardley for a second time.

None of these fights has been officially announced. They remain callouts, possibilities or reported discussions.

Each would nevertheless give Dubois an opportunity to build a better case for Usyk than another interview ever could.

Dubois’ Next Fight Should Decide Whether the Trilogy Is Earned

Promoter Frank Warren told Sky Sports that he expects at least one heavyweight unification during the first quarter of 2027. He also estimated that producing an undisputed champion could take approximately 18 months.

That outlook suggests Dubois may have access to the kind of meaningful fight he needs. It does not confirm whether Hrgovic, Kabayel, Itauma or another opponent will be standing across from him next.

The distinction matters because heavyweight boxing regularly turns public interest into assumptions long before contracts are signed. Dubois mentioning Usyk does not mean Usyk has accepted. Reports of discussions involving Kabayel do not guarantee a title fight. A mandatory listing does not provide a date or venue for an Itauma challenge.

The next confirmed opponent will reveal more about Dubois’ direction than the collection of names currently surrounding him.

If Dubois defeats Hrgovic in a unification, overcomes Kabayel or successfully handles the threat presented by Itauma, the demand for another Usyk fight becomes more difficult to dismiss. He would not erase the previous defeats, but he would demonstrate continued growth against elite opposition and create a legitimate question about whether the current version of Dubois is equipped to change the result.

If he avoids the strongest available test while continuing to call for Usyk, the trilogy will look driven primarily by money and championship politics.

Dubois does not need to pretend the first two losses never happened. He needs to show that they no longer define what would happen in a third fight.

The cleanest way to do that is by beating someone capable of exposing whether his development is real.