Oleksandr Usyk has named the fighter he’d like to meet in the ring after Anthony Joshua – and there are no prizes for guessing who he’s chosen.
Being the first undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world wasn’t enough for Usyk. The Ukrainian, who has an extensive amateur career behind him, became a two-weight world champion at just 19-0.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be well aware that Usyk achieved that via a comprehensive UD victory over Anthony Joshua, dealing the Briton his second defeat in the space of just four bouts.
As was reported by Sky Sports last month, Eddie Hearn has confirmed that the rematch clause in the fight agreement with Usyk has been triggered, with the pair expected to fight again in the spring.
Despite Usyk having to face off with a resurgent AJ before he and his team can consider where he goes next, he already has his ideas about who he’d like to battle with further down the line.
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Usyk told DAZN, “I have now faced many great British opponents. To be honest, they were all amazing in their own way, but I felt as though Joshua was the most interesting, especially as there were three championship belts to gain.”
“My performance that night was perhaps my very best, and if I can beat him a second time, I would look forward to maybe facing one more great British boxer, and that is, of course, Tyson Fury.”
Usyk vs Fury is a fight that the fans would undoubtedly want to see, were Joshua unable to redeem himself by being victorious in the rematch and instead putting himself forward to fight for undisputed status.
AJ ought to be under no illusions, Usyk is not looking past him and becoming complacent in the same manner Andy Ruiz Jr did. He’ll be even MORE prepared for the second fight, with a view to becoming a two-weight undisputed champion, which would surely rank him among the pound-for-pound greats.