Fans have no doubt read how heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk has in the recent past suggested he might drop back down to cruiserweight, this as there is no work left to be done at heavyweight. Usyk we know won all four belts at 200 pounds, before bulking up to around 220 pounds and winning all four titles at heavyweight also. Now, with fans wondering what Usyk’s next move might be, this almost a month after his repeat win over Tyson Fury, promoter Frank Warren has said it will be “impossible” for Usyk to drop back down to the cruiserweight division.
Instead, Warren says Usyk will fight the winner of the upcoming February 22 fight between IBF heavyweight champ Daniel Dubois and challenger and former WBO heavyweight titlist Joseph Parker.
“He won’t. See the size of him, it’s impossible,” Warren said to Sky Sports when discussing the chances of Usyk going back to his old division. “You’ve only got to look at the size of him, that’s not going to happen. For him, the winner of Dubois versus Parker is a big fight, a massive fight.”
It’s true the only heavyweight fight left for Usyk that has any real sense of motivation for Usyk himself is the winner of the February 22 fight. For one thing, Usyk would, with a win, become a two-time four-belt heavyweight ruler. For another, if Dubois beats Parker, Usyk would have a chance to finally put to bed any and all lingering claims that Dubois was “robbed” of a body shot KO when the two fought in Poland in August of 2023.
Warren himself still insists his fighter was hard done by that night, before Dubois was stopped in the ninth round.
“I genuinely still believe he would have beaten Usyk if it weren’t for what was going on in his head at the time with the referee,” Warren said. “All that four-minute break. He would have jumped on him. Was it a low blow? I don’t think it was a low blow, some people think it was.”
And on and on this so-called controversy goes. For the record, the punch by Dubois WAS low, and Usyk, like the smart fighter he is, took advantage of the recovery time afforded to him. That said, yes, there are people who are still adamant that Usyk was done a major favour, and this would likely see to it that a return fight between Usyk and Dubois would sell.
Or maybe Warren is wrong, and Usyk can and will make 200 pounds once again? Who knows with this incredible, mentally strong fighter? In the meantime, can Dubois get past Parker next month?
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