Oleksandr Usyk is figuring out how best to bid out from the sport he has dominated for so long.
Usyk has been a professional for 13 years, ever since he ended his amateur career with a gold medal at the London Olympic games.
Six years after turning over, he completed the cruiserweight division by beating every man he faced, never going down and barely being hurt. That made him the undisputed champion and he soon moved up to heavyweight.
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His time in boxing’s banner division has been just as successful. He has recorded wins over some of the best talents of his era, including twice beating former unified world champion Anthony Joshua on points. He also defended his belts against young talent Daniel Dubois in summer 2023, then went into a much anticipated undisputed fight with the unbeaten Tyson Fury. The southpaw came out after 12 rounds as the winner to complete a historic undisputed double, then beat Fury once more back in December.
As he enters his late thirties, the Ukrainian has now got only one or two fights left. The likely next opponent will be a rematch against current IBF champion Dubois. However, for his final fight he has suggested a crossover bout against UFC champion Alex Pereira.
“Maybe show fight with Alex Pereira, maybe, why not. Alex wanna [do it?]”
Pereira responded to the call out by putting forward a date of September in Saudi Arabia.
“When I saw it I jumped with joy. Who knows, in September, in Saudi Arabia.”
It would be an unlikely bout, but whoever he takes on, Usyk will likely be an overwhelming favourite.
