Oleksandr Usyk seems somewhat dissatisfied with his victory over Tyson Fury. Not even three weeks have passed since he became the undisputed heavyweight champion, and the Ukrainian is already thinking about a new challenge to further enhance his legend.
In his 11-year career, Usyk has won everything there is to win in boxing. He was an Olympic champion in London 2012, a world champion in Baku 2011, and a European champion in Liverpool 2008. As a professional, the Ukrainian has also dominated the two top divisions with ease.
In 2018, with a technical knockout victory in the eighth round over Tony Bellew, he became the absolute cruiserweight champion. Shortly thereafter, Usyk decided to expand his horizons by moving up to heavyweight, and six years later, his split decision victory over Fury made him the undisputed champion of the division.
Usyk’s plans
Although his victory on May 18 has him at the top of boxing, Usyk is considering moving down a division, seeking to unify the four main cruiserweight belts again, according to a report by talkSPORT’s Michael Benson.
“Oleksandr Usyk has declared that he is considering moving back down to CRUISERWEIGHT after the Tyson Fury rematch so he can attempt to become the undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF & WBO cruiserweight world champion for a second time,” Benson indicated on X, formerly Twitter.
Shortly before his first fight against Fury, the Ukrainian had already raised this possibility. Speaking to TNT Sports, Usyk assured, “All the historic champions, all these boxers, have done a lot for boxing. Rocky Marciano was never defeated; he died undefeated. Maybe I will go back to cruiserweight and win.”
The cruiserweight challenge
Usyk’s idea has caused mixed opinions from fans. Some think he wouldn’t find much competition in that division. “He’ll easily become undisputed again if he does move back down to cruiser. There’s no one even close to his level there,” opined a user on X.
Some considered that if he returned to the division, the only real contender for him would be Australian Jay Opetaia. For this reason, they suggested that he should try to go down to bridgerweight, the new division between cruiser and heavyweight, to try to be a champion in three different divisions.
A few others were more cynical, saying Usyk is trying to avoid tougher heavyweight opponents like Anthony Joshua or Jared Anderson.
Despite his words, Usyk still has at least one more fight left at heavyweight, the long-awaited rematch against Fury this December 21. If he then decides to try again at cruiserweight, he will be closer to being considered the greatest of all time (GOAT).
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