Usyk-Dubois 2: How to watch, what's at stake, betting odds

LONDON (AP) — Daniel Dubois gets a second shot at Oleksandr Usyk and this time the stakes are higher as the winner will become the undisputed world heavyweight champion.

The pair will square off at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night almost two years after their first bout, which is best remembered for a controversial low blow by Dubois. Usyk stopped Dubois in the ninth round to retain his WBA, IBF and WBO belts.

Victory for Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) would see the Ukrainian become a two-time undisputed world heavyweight champion. It's a feat he first accomplished in May 2024 by beating Tyson Fury on a split decision and taking Fury's WBC belt.

Usyk then relinquished his IBF belt — with Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) the recipient — just over a year ago to focus on a rematch with Fury.

The last British heavyweight to hold every major belt was Lennox Lewis just over 25 years ago.

The ringwalks are expected to be at around 9:45 p.m. local time (4:45 p.m. ET). The first fight on the undercard will begin around 5:40 p.m.

It was held in Wroclaw, Poland, which practically speaking was home territory for Usyk, whose country is still defending itself from a Russian military invasion.

The southpaw Usyk controlled the fight by using his right jab effectively, finding holes in Dubois' defense and causing the Briton's left eye to swell by the fourth round. The low blow in the fifth round remains the talking point. Dubois' punch sent Usyk to the canvas. Referee Luis Pabon had a clear view and ruled it an illegal low blow, though Dubois' camp accused Usyk of pretending to be hurt. Usyk was given nearly four minutes to recover. Usyk scored a knockdown late in the eighth round and ended it a round later with a straight right that dropped Dubois.

Since beating Dubois, Usyk secured back-to-back victories over Tyson Fury. Both fights took place in Riyadh and both went the full 12 rounds. The first was a split decision. The rematch last December was a unanimous decision. Dubois rebounded from his loss to Usyk with three wins, all by stoppages: Jarrell Miller in the 10th round; Filip Hrgovic in the eighth round; and Anthony Joshua in the fifth at Wembley. Dubois was scheduled to make a title defense against Joseph Parker in February but he backed out at the last minute citing an illness.

So much. There is Usyk's undefeated record. The Ukrainian turns 39 in January so he's at the point of his career where every fight could be his last. Going out on top must be at least a little appealing. Plus, even though he clearly feasts on British opponents, he might not be as enthusiastic to face the likes of rising star Moses Itauma, a 20-year-old Slovakia-born British southpaw who has drawn comparisons to a young Mike Tyson. None of Itauma’s past eight opponents have lasted two rounds.

For the 27-year-old Dubois, history awaits. He'd be the first British fighter since Lennox Lewis in 1999 to be the undisputed world heavyweight champion. Fury and Joshua have been much more heralded in their careers, but neither has been able to beat Usyk. They both fought him twice and lost. Dubois also wants to prove that his stunning knockout of Joshua last September in an IBF title defense was no fluke.

It's available on DAZN pay-per-view for $59.99 in the United States, and 24.99 pounds in Britain.

Usyk is the big favorite. BetMGM Sportsbook on Saturday listed Usyk at 2/7, equivalent of a moneyline favorite of -350; and Dubois at 3/1 or +300. The odds on a draw are 17/1.

London's Lawrence Okolie faces Kevin Lerena of South Africa in a heavyweight bout. Okolie is a former WBO cruiserweight champion. Also: Daniel Lapin vs. Lewis Edmondson (light heavyweight), Vladyslav Sirenko vs. Solomon Dacres (heavyweight), Aadam Hamed vs. Ezequiel Gregores (super lightweight), and Lasha Guruli vs. James Francis (super lightweight)

AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing

Ukraine's boxer Oleksandr Usyk warms up during a public workout at BoxPark near Wembley stadium in London, Wednesday, July 16, 2025 ahead of the undisputed heavyweight champion boxing fight between Britain's Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Ukraine's boxer Oleksandr Usyk warms up during a public workout at BoxPark near Wembley stadium in London, Wednesday, July 16, 2025 ahead of the undisputed heavyweight champion boxing fight between Britain's Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Britain's Daniel Dubois warms up during a public workout at BoxPark near Wembley stadium in London, Wednesday, July 16, 2025 ahead of the undisputed heavyweight champion boxing fight between Britain's Daniel Dubois and Ukraine's boxer Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Ukraine's boxer Oleksandr Usyk warms up during a public workout at BoxPark near Wembley stadium in London, Wednesday, July 16, 2025 ahead of the undisputed heavyweight champion boxing fight between Britain's Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Britain's Daniel Dubois warms up during a public workout at BoxPark near Wembley stadium in London, Wednesday, July 16, 2025 ahead of the undisputed heavyweight champion boxing fight between Britain's Daniel Dubois and Ukraine's boxer Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

FILE - Britain's Daniel Dubois, left, and Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk fight during their world heavyweight title fight at Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, Aug. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File)

FILE - Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk lands a blow on Britain's Daniel Dubois during their world heavyweight title fight at Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, Aug. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File)

ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — First responders on Sunday entered a contested neighborhood in Syria’ s northern city of Aleppo after days of deadly clashes between government forces and Kurdish-led forces. Syrian state media said the military was deployed in large numbers.

The clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid after the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main Kurdish-led force in the country, failed to make progress on how to merge the SDF into the national army. Security forces captured Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.

The fighting between the two sides was the most intense since the fall of then-President Bashar Assad to insurgents in December 2024. At least 23 people were killed in five days of clashes and more than 140,000 were displaced amid shelling and drone strikes.

The U.S.-backed SDF, which have played a key role in combating the Islamic State group in large swaths of eastern Syria, are the largest force yet to be absorbed into Syria's national army. Some of the factions that make up the army, however, were previously Turkish-backed insurgent groups that have a long history of clashing with Kurdish forces.

The Kurdish fighters have now evacuated from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to northeastern Syria, which is under the control of the SDF. However, they said in a statement they will continue to fight now that the wounded and civilians have been evacuated, in what they called a “partial ceasefire.”

The neighborhood appeared calm Sunday. The United Nations said it was trying to dispatch more convoys to the neighborhoods with food, fuel, blankets and other urgent supplies.

Government security forces brought journalists to tour the devastated area, showing them the damaged Khalid al-Fajer Hospital and a military position belonging to the SDF’s security forces that government forces had targeted.

The SDF statement accused the government of targeting the hospital “dozens of times” before patients were evacuated. Damascus accused the Kurdish-led group of using the hospital and other civilian facilities as military positions.

On one street, Syrian Red Crescent first responders spoke to a resident surrounded by charred cars and badly damaged residential buildings.

Some residents told The Associated Press that SDF forces did not allow their cars through checkpoints to leave.

“We lived a night of horror. I still cannot believe that I am right here standing on my own two feet,” said Ahmad Shaikho. “So far the situation has been calm. There hasn’t been any gunfire.”

Syrian Civil Defense first responders have been disarming improvised mines that they say were left by the Kurdish forces as booby traps.

Residents who fled are not being allowed back into the neighborhood until all the mines are cleared. Some were reminded of the displacement during Syria’s long civil war.

“I want to go back to my home, I beg you,” said Hoda Alnasiri.

Associated Press journalist Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.

Sandbag barriers used as fighting positions by Kurdish fighters, left inside a destroyed mosque in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Burned vehicles at one of the Kurdish fighters positions at the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

People flee the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A Syrian military police convoy enters the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Burned vehicles and ammunitions left at one of the Kurdish fighters positions at the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)