Oleksandr Usyk is considering returning to cruiserweight after his December 21st rematch against Tyson Fury to attempt to become a two-time undisputed champion.
Chasing Pennies in a Ghost Town
Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) would have to take a drastic pay cut to move back down to cruiserweight, a barren division, especially now that IBF champion Jai Opetaia is planning on moving up to heavyweight.
The current cruiserweight champions are invisible no-names to the average fan, and it would be worth little for Usyk to fight any of them. It would likely take a couple of years for Usyk to accomplish his goal of becoming undisputed champion at cruiserweight a second time, which would put his age close to 40 by then.
Usyk told 3 Knockout Rule his vision of trying to become a two-time undisputed champion. It’s unclear how serious Usyk is about trying to do that because it would be better for him to stay at heavyweight to face Anthony Joshua third time or Daniel Dubois.
The unbeaten Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) captured the heavyweight undisputed championship last month on May 18th, defeating Tyson Fury by a twelve-round split decision in Riyadh. In 2018, Usyk won the undisputed cruiserweight championship. A year later, Usyk moved up to heavyweight in 2019 and has competed in that division ever since.
The Cruiserweight Wasteland: A No-Name Nightmare
If the cruiserweight division were stacked with popular champions, it would be more worthy for Usyk to return to the division to try and become the undisputed champ a second time, but that’s not the case.
Usyk has so many options at heavyweight that are infinitely more appealing than moving back down to the barren, empty cruiserweight division, fighting no-names to accomplish something that the boxing public won’t value.
It would mean something if the fans saw the cruiserweight division as stacked with talent, but it’s not. The division is dead and has been since Usyk moved up
The current cruiserweight champions:
– Jai Opetaia: IBF
– Noel Mikaelyan: WBC
– Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez: WBA
– Chris Billiam-Smith: WBO
Opetaia might be the best, but he’s boring to watch and fights like a bigger, more timid version of Shakur Stevenson. He bounces around, throwing single pot shots and jabs, and then darts away when his opponents look to throw. It’s a dull style, and he looks timid when attacked. His two fights against Mairis Briedis were boring to watch because he doesn’t like being pressured.
Read the full article here
