Oleksandr Usyk seems prepared to return to cruiserweight for what he called “a big fight” against present WBA and WBO unified world champion David Benavidez.
A former undisputed champion at 200 kilos, Usyk cleared out the division in a earlier period, beating Murat Gassiev, Mairis Briedis and Tony Bellew, among other cruiserweights.
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That was in 2018.
The following 12 months, he moved up to heavyweight and grew to become an undisputed champion in that division as nicely in 2024, lapping the competitors by beating Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua twice each.
During Usyk’s stint at heavyweight, David Benavidez infiltrated the pound-for-pound dialog because of his successes from tremendous middleweight to cruiserweight, most not too long ago beating Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez by sixth-round knockout in his last bout.
“We have spoken to Usyk about [him] coming down to cruiserweight,” Benavidez instructed Fight Hub on Wednesday. “It would be for undisputed [championship status], obviously.”
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On Saturday, ringside in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s WBC tremendous middleweight world title win over Christian Mbilli, Usyk made his resolution official.
“I cleaned heavyweight [out] and am back at my weight,” he said on the DAZN broadcast, lifting his shirt to show his belly muscle tissue, while saying he’s at present strolling around at 96 or 97 kilograms (211.5 to 213.5 kilos).
Against the kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, whom he beat by eleventh spherical knockout in May, Usyk weighed 233 kilos — the heaviest he’d ever been, even at heavyweight. Benavidez weighed 197 kilos the day before he beat “Zurdo” Ramirez earlier this 12 months.
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On Benavidez as a potential opponent, Usyk said: “At cruiserweight if I have [an] opportunity, I bet, it is a big fight because Benavidez is a big champion. Me, a little bit too.”
Benavidez is first scheduled to face WBC champion Michal Cieslak in a three-belt unification bout on Dec. 5.
The IBF championship is at present vacant, that means either Benavidez or Usyk would need to win it for a battle between them to be for the undisputed title.
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