Oleksandr Usyk’s title defence against Daniel Dubois made official
Oleksandr Usyk’s next fight has been made official, as the Ukrainian defends the unified heavyweight titles against Daniel Dubois in Poland in August. Usyk, 36, will put the belts on the line against the 25-year-old Briton at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw on 26 August. The bout came together following the collapse of talks between Usyk and WBC champion Fury, who were expected to clash in London in April. A fight between the undefeated pair, to crown an undisputed champion, is still on the cards, with Saudi Arabia the frontrunner to host the contest this winter. However, many in boxing doubt that the fight will materialise. In any case, Usyk’s focus is now on Dubois, who is the mandatory challenger to the WBA title, which Usyk holds alongside the WBO, IBF and IBO belts. “Ready for my chance!” Dubois wrote on social media. “I hope you are @usykaa.” Usyk simply wrote: “See you 26 august.” Dubois has a professional record of 19-1 with 18 knockout wins, while the sole defeat of his pro career came in 2020, when he suffered a fractured eye socket en route to a TKO loss to Joe Joyce. Last time out, Dubois recovered from multiple knockdowns to stop Kevin Lerena in December. Meanwhile, Usyk is 20-0 as a pro with 13 KO wins. The Olympic gold medalist most recently fought Anthony Joshua in August, outpointing the Briton for the second fight in a row. With that result last summer, the southpaw retained the unified titles that he took from “AJ” in the pair’s first clash. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Tyson Fury’s ‘game-changing’ return to be announced in ‘next week or so’, Frank Warren says Tyson Fury reacts to footage of Anthony Joshua using mattress as heavy bag Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder’s teams meet in London for talks over Saudi Arabia fight
1970-01-01 08:00
Manchester City complete swoop for Netherlands midfielder Jill Roord
Netherlands midfielder Jill Roord has returned to the Women’s Super League with a move to Manchester City, the club have announced. The 26-year-old, who was with Arsenal from 2019 to 2021, joins City from Champions League runners-up Wolfsburg on a three-year deal. The PA news agency understands City have paid a club-record fee in excess of £300,000 to sign Roord, scorer of 31 goals in 69 appearances across all competitions for Wolfsburg. She has played 86 times for her country, helping them win Euro 2017 on home soil and finish as runners-up at the 2019 World Cup in France. Roord, part of the Netherlands squad for this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, said in a statement from City: “I’m very happy and it’s a very proud feeling for me to sign for Manchester City. “I have always thought that this was a fantastic club with lots of quality, and I’m super excited to start here. “I really like the way that they play, and I feel that it suits me perfectly. There’s a lot of quality in the team, and it’s a young side with plenty of potential which is very important to me. “I’ve always thought that the Women’s Super League is very competitive, so playing in England again is like a dream – I feel like I have developed a lot as a player during my time in Germany. “In my conversations with Gareth (Taylor, the City manager), I heard everything that I wanted to hear – we think the same way about football which is important, and where he sees me in the team was ideal – it is the perfect fit. “If you play for City, you compete for everything you are involved in and that is what we will be aiming to do – with the quality we have here, anything is possible so I hope that we will be very successful together.” Taylor said: “We’re really pleased to have been able to secure Jill’s signature and bring her to the club. “She has proven her worth in both England and Europe during her career so far, alongside on the international stage with the Netherlands – she is no stranger to success. “She is a player whose calibre speaks for itself with what she has achieved, and we believe she will be a fantastic addition to our squad here at City. “We’re looking forward to welcoming her aboard and working with her over the next three years.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live David Warner’s frustration at the hands of Stuart Broad continues at Headingley Mason Mount says it was clear ‘several months ago’ he was not in Chelsea’s plans Ellen White tips ‘proven winner’ Sarina Wiegman to lead England to further glory
1970-01-01 08:00
Mason Mount reveals key reason for leaving Chelsea
Mason Mount, who has joined Manchester United in a deal that could be worth £60m, says it became clear that he had no long-term future at Chelsea.
1970-01-01 08:00
Will MrBeast become Threads' CEO? YouTuber surpasses Mark Zuckerberg's follower count on 'Twitter killer' app, fans ask 'can I have feastables'
The renowned YouTube star has achieved an impressive feat on the Threads app, surpassing its creator, Mark Zuckerberg, in terms of follower count
1970-01-01 08:00
Shell CEO calls it 'irresponsible' to cut oil production now
The head of global energy giant Shell says it would be “irresponsible” to cut oil and gas production at a time when the world economy is still dependent on fossil fuels
1970-01-01 08:00
Zelenskiy Arrives in Bulgaria Amid Shift to Support Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived on a one-day visit to Bulgaria as the Balkan country’s new government looks
1970-01-01 08:00
Longtime Showtime executive David Nevins named CEO of North Road Company
LOS ANGELES Longtime Showtime Networks executive David Nevins has been named chief executive of the North Road Company,
1970-01-01 08:00
Gabriel Jesus reveals the injury that cost Arsenal the Premier League title
Gabriel Jesus has admitted that William Saliba's injury hindered Arsenal's title challenge a the tail-end of the 2022/23 season.
1970-01-01 08:00
Ukraine Recap: Lviv Missile Strike; Wagner Chief Back in Russia
A Russian missile strike on a residential area killed at least four people and injured dozens more in
1970-01-01 08:00
Drake teases new album is on COMING SOON
Drake kicked off his co-headlining tour with some big album news for fans.
1970-01-01 08:00
Threads, Meta's Twitter rival, is tracking you in all sorts of ways
If you thought your data remains yours alone on Threads, think again. The App Privacy
1970-01-01 08:00
Does Pokimane want to have a baby? Twitch queen reacts to Mizkif's reservations about having children as a streamer
The Twitch personalities discussed their future in live streaming, with Mizkif expressing his firm stance of never having children
1970-01-01 08:00
