Oleksandr Usyk’s tremendous performance to unseat WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua in London could lead to the chance of becoming an undisputed champion in two divisions, provided he is also successful in next year’s rematch.
And the former four-belt cruiserweight ruler admitted in an exclusive interview with DAZN that he would love to take on another British fighter in order to achieve that undisputed dream: current unbeaten WBC champ Tyson Fury.
Usyk has accumulated a large resume of defeating British opponents on their own turf: Joe Joyce was bested by Usyk in a World Series of Boxing semi-professional encounter at York Hall in 2013; Tony Bellew retired after a failed challenge for Usyk’s unified cruiserweight crown in 2018; Derek Chisora was beaten via decision in 2020 and then of course came the Joshua fight in September.
“I have now faced many great British opponents,” admitted Usyk. “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 was considered the underdog heading into the ‘AJ’ fight due to size and heavyweight experience, but did not look much smaller at all when he went toe-to-toe with the now-former champ.
And while the towering Fury is of course even bigger still, there is now no denying the the threat Usyk poses with his mesmerising movement and superbly-timed combinations.
“I try not to concern myself with things like the size difference, whether it be against Joshua, Fury or anyone else,” the Ukrainian said of the situation.
“My team and I train very hard and work on ways to succeed, and we would go into any fight with the right gameplan.”
[USYK EXCLUSIVE PART ONE: "MY FIGHT VS. JOSHUA WAS "BRILLIANT"]
Interestingly, Usyk weighed in for the Joshua showdown at 221lbs, which while his heaviest professional weight yet, was nonetheless lighter than that of Oscar Rivas, who in October hit the scales at just over 222lbs before beating Ryan Rozicki to become the WBC’s inaugural ‘bridgerweight’ champion.
The ‘bridgerweight’ concept, which offers an additional weight bracket between heavyweight and cruiserweight, has thus far only been taken on by the WBC and has received negative feedback from many fans, some of which claimed it would merely be a consolation prize for fighters Usyk’s size.
Nonetheless, the actual Rivas-Rozicki contest was well-received and although Usyk silenced the doubters by winning three heavyweight belts, he not only believes the new division can succeed but that it may also one day have his undivided attention.
Usyk explained: “I think the bridgerweight division could prove over time to be a good thing, because I know that there are a lot of fighters who are the perfect weight to succeed there and create great fights.
“My goal was always to become a heavyweight champion but in the future, who knows? Maybe I will fight at bridgerweight myself one day. It would be one more belt for me to win.”
JAXET is an innovative brand founded in 2021 by Artur Mkhitaryan. The brand draws inspiration from space and gaming worlds, combining fashion and technologies to create multifunctional gear of the future. Jaxet provided the official ringwalk apparel for Oleksandr Usyk as he entered the ring at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September to defeat Anthony Joshua.