Oleksandr Usyk has a plan in place if he defeats Tyson Fury in their much-anticipated heavyweight rematch on Saturday night – and it involves switching weight.
The 37-year-old, who remains the only undisputed cruiserweight champion of the four-belt era, successfully transitioned to heavyweight in 2019.
He defeated Chazz Witherspoon on his heavyweight debut before earning a unanimous points win over Derek Chisora at Wembley Arena in November 2020.
Usyk then outclassed Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois to solidify his status as one of the world's best fighters.
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But the question remains – what's next? Ahead of his much-anticipated rematch against Tyson Fury, the undefeated Ukrainian opened up on his future plans.
“[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.”
Speaking on the Three Knockdown Rule podcast back in June, Usyk hinted that he would return to the cruiserweight division in search of a third career undisputed crown.
“I think maybe after the rematch [against Fury], I am going to go down in weight to cruiserweight. I want more [fights at] cruiserweight," he said.
“It’s my plan because when I start my [heavyweight] training camps, I’m eating all the time. For me it’s hard, I don’t like it. Three times [per day]. Water, protein, bananas, it’s a lot of food.”
As mentioned above, Usyk held all four belts in the cruiserweight division. He did so by beating Murat Gassiev in 2018, which saw him claim the WBA (super) and IBF titles to add to his WBC and WBO belts.
It must be noted that Usyk has mentioned the possibility of moving back to cruiserweight on numerous occasions over the years.
Back in 2022, he once again mentioned the amount of food consumed at heavyweight as one of the negatives behind being in the division.
"I was thinking about returning to cruiserweight and getting a few more of the world belts," he told Parimatch
"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 kilometers and train hard. At this moment I just want to stop and take a rest."
He added: "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."
How to watch Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk
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To watch Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk go head to head, there are three options:
1.) You can watch the rematch on DAZN with no subscription required. All you need to do is buy the PPV for £24.99 and you will automatically get a seven-day free trial which you can later cancel to stop the subscription from rolling over. You’ll be able to stream the match on a range of devices including PlayStation, Chromecast, and Smart TV. If you do decide to roll over your free trial, you’ll move onto a monthly plan costing £24.99 per month and get access to over 150 fights every year, with the option to cancel with 30 days’ notice.
2.) You can also tune in live on Sky Sports Box Office (Sky channel 491). The event is priced at £24.95 for Sky customers in the UK and $27.95 if you’re based in the Republic of Ireland. Sadly Sky does not offer free trials, but Sky subscribers can book the match here and if you’re new to Sky, you can sign up here.
3.) Finally, you can watch the fight on TNT Sports with a Prime Video subscription (free for the first month then £8.99/ month), provided you have discovery+ (from £3.99/ month) as part of your subscription. If you don't fancy shelling out, you can simply cancel your subscription after the first month.
Topics: Oleksandr Usyk, Boxing, Boxing News, Tyson Fury
Jack Kenmare