Oleksandr Usyk to possibly defend his heavyweight titles against Daniel Dubois next

Sadly for fans, Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury might need to wait.

'The Cat' has been out of action since his August rematch with Anthony Joshua, where he won by split decision. Following that victory, he was in talks for a quick turnaround to face 'The Gypsy King'.

Due to a nagging rib injury, the Ukrainian was forced to turn the fight down, resulting in Derek Chisora getting the title shot. Fury battered 'Del Boy' en route to a tenth-round knockout victory earlier this month, with Usyk sitting in attendance.

Following the main event, the two heavyweights faced off in the ring. In classic fashion for both men, Fury slang insults, while Usyk was stoic and emotionless. After the staredown, it appeared that a clash between the two was imminent.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk face off with Fury shouting call-outs and insults while Usyk just stares back at him… https://t.co/JZk7LxTfEV

However, the WBA has different plans. Earlier this week, the sanctioning body ordered Daniel Dubois to face Oleksandr Usyk next. 'Dynamite' is fresh off his knockout win over Daniel Lerena earlier this month on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs. Derek Chisora 3.

While the fight has been ordered, that doesn't mean it's guaranteed to happen. Usyk could get the fight postponed by the WBA in favor of a clash with Fury, or he could vacate his title to avoid a fight with Dubois.

‼️ The WBA have now officially ordered Oleksandr Usyk to defend his WBA, IBF & WBO heavyweight world titles vs Daniel Dubois next.

Oleksandr Usyk discusses his staredown with Tyson Fury

Oleksandr Usyk has shared his side of the face-off with Tyson Fury.

The two camps were in discussions to fight in December, but an injury to 'The Cat' derailed those plans. As a result, fans were forced to watch Fury's trilogy with Derek Chisora, which was seen as little more than a tune-up.

Both sides saw the fight as a tune-up as well, as they remained in contact and continued to work on a possible date for the fight. Earlier this week, Usyk's manager confirmed that the matchup is likely to be on for early 2023 in the Middle East.

The staredown between the two men was a bit of an unofficial kickoff to the promotional push for an eventual fight. As Oleksandr Usyk has now revealed, the face-off was planned.

However, the champion still had some fun in the pre-planned affair and noted that 'The Gypsy King' didn't touch him, as he previously threatened to do. In an interview on his YouTube channel, Usyk said:

"We negotiated it. If he agreed to fight, I would step onto the ring. A lot of things were said since then, like he would slap me in my face. But apparently he changed his mind after having his buttocks burned."

Watch his comments below (1:55):