Filip Hrgovic v Daniel Dubois odds: Queensberry star 2/1 to beat Filip Hrgovic and become IBF 'interim' heavyweight champion

Daniel Dubois has been priced up at 2/1 to capture the vacant IBF 'interim' heavyweight title when he tackles the unbeaten Filip Hrgovic as part of the huge Queensberry v Matchroom card on Saturday night.

Filip Hrgovic v Daniel Dubois

(Odds will display when markets are available)

The governing body has "tentatively sanctioned" for the IBF heavyweight title to be on the line this weekend, meaning the winner of the hugely-anticipated showdown would automatically be installed as the full-time champion should Oleksandr Usyk be vacated of his strap prior to his rematch with Tyson Fury later this year.

Usyk, who prevailed on points in a dramatic showdown with the Gypsy King in Saudi Arabia recently, had requested for the Saturday 21st December re-run with Fury to carry all four officially recognised belts.

And whilst the expectation was that the IBF would strip Usyk of his title, given the fact the Ukrainian having been unable to fulfil his mandatory against 2/5 fight favourite Hrgovic within the allocated time frame, it appears as though the undisputed champion has been handed a reprieve.

Had the former cruiserweight king been stripped of his title, then Hrgovic and Dubois would have likely been squaring off for the heavyweight strap this weekend.

However, the IBF's decision to "tentatively sanction" the 'interim' title to be on the line is expected to provide the winner of Hrgovic v Dubois either a crack at the winner of Usyk v Fury 2 in 2025, or being upgraded to full IBF champion should Usyk vacate, or be stripped, of the belt.

The development will also come as a huge boost to Dubois, whose world title hopes appeared to be in tatters a couple of years ago following his crushing defeat at the hands of Joe Joyce.

The Londoner, who impressed in his stoppage triumph over Jarrell Miller last time out, will now set off in search of what would be the biggest win of his career in Riyadh on Saturday; and one that could provide him with world champion status down the line.

Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.

Mark Mothershaw

• Queensberry v Matchroom
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