Unified heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk has revealed he is considering moving back down to the cruiserweight division.
Usyk is coming off the back of two terrific victories over Anthony Joshua, which saw him win and then defend the unified WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight world titles.
This seemingly set up a mouth-watering undisputed clash with Tyson Fury, who holds the WBC heavyweight title, the only other major belt in the division.
However, Usyk ruled himself out for the rest of 2022 due to injury, and ‘The Gypsy King’ went looking for an alternative opponent to face later this year.
A fight with Joshua was believed to be on the cards but fell through and now it is unclear who Fury will face next, but he is preparing to fight at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on December 3.
Usyk has now revealed that he is considering a return to cruiserweight, meaning an eagerly anticipated clash with Fury may never happen.
The Ukrainian insists that he finds it easy competing at heavyweight but is struggling with how much food he has to eat to be big enough for the weight class.
“I was thinking about returning to cruiserweight and getting a few more of the world belts,” Usyk said in a recent interview with Parimach.
“You know, being a heavyweight means you have to be really heavy. You must eat a lot. It’s not hard to fight with these giants, but it’s really hard to eat all the time.
“And now I work much more than I did as a cruiserweight, particularly in the training camps. I had to swim ten kilometres and train hard. At this moment I just want to stop and take a rest.
“A half of a year of training is hard work. I didn’t see my family for such a long time, I didn’t see my wife, children or anyone.”
Prior to his move to the heavyweight division, Usyk became the undisputed cruiserweight champion by going to the backyards of Marco Huck, Marius Briedis and Murat Gassiev to win all four belts.
‘The Cat’ then defended them against Tony Bellew in the UK for good measure before stepping up to heavyweight and beating Chazz Witherspoon and Derek Chisora rather than take an immediate world title shot.
Since he’s been gone, the cruiserweight belts have become fragmented and are currently held by Arsen Goulamirian, Ilunga Makabu, Jai Opetaia and Lawrence Okolie.
News Summary:
- Oleksandr Usyk casts doubt on possible Tyson Fury fight next year as Ukrainian considers dropping down to cruiserweight
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