Oleksandr Usyk reveals surprise plan for next fight after Tyson Fury rematch
The Ukrainian is the lineal heavyweight world champion after jumping up from the cruiserweight division before defeating Anthony Joshua and Fury
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Your support makes all the difference.Oleksandr Usyk has detailed an audacious plan to drop down to cruiserweight again in search of a third career spell as an undisputed champion should he defeat Tyson Fury on Saturday.
The Ukrainian takes on the Briton in Riyadh seven months after creating history to become a two-weight undisputed king and symbol of hope amid conflict back home.
Usyk emerged victorious via split decision and with wins over Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, the current IBF heavyweight world champion, an unprecedented move appears to motivate the 37-year-old into 2025 and beyond.
“[If] I win again, [in] a second fight, I'll try cruiserweight again [for the undisputed title],” he told Sky Sports News.
“I'll try. I feel good. [This is] the 13th round because I feel like this.”
Usyk’s glittering career has seen him win gold at the Olympics at London 2012, before claiming the undisputed crown over Murat Gassiev in 2018 and then dispatching Tony Bellew later that year.
Usyk weighed 223.5lbs for his first fight with Fury and, should he shed the weight to meet the 200lbs limit, he would face a difficult and time-consuming task to round up the belts once more.
The first fight of 2025, should he turn his back on the heavyweight division, would see one of the following take on one of the greatest fighters of a generation: Gilberto Ramirez, who holds the WBA and WBO titles, Badou Jack as the WBC champion and Jai Opetaia is the IBF champion.
"Tyson Fury had a chance [to hurt me] in the sixth round, maybe the seventh round, maybe 12th, 11th, first, second," Usyk said.
"But Tyson did not do it. It's just talk. Tyson said I had the chance. Yeah, no problem. We have a second fight, I'll try."
Fury, meanwhile, insists he is motivated by money not legacy with a lucrative showdown against Joshua still firmly on his radar.
Fury was ringside at Wembley to watch Joshua’s dramatic defeat and was caught on camera saying “that’s cost me £150million, the silly c***” – a comment he insists he meant.
“Of course I did. We would have had a two-fight deal lined up for a s*** ton of money. Unfortunately doors open, doors close,” Fury said. “Does it really matter if he has another loss or not? It doesn’t matter. It’s still a big fight.
“Even if he goes in against Dubois and he gets knocked out again – which he would – that doesn’t mean it’s a s*** fight now. It’s still a great fight. It’s a great fight that we all want to see.”
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