Oleksandr Usyk’s future is a bright one.
Heavyweight boxing at its peak has always been one of the sport’s most exciting divisions. For the past several years, a handful of big names have stood atop the mountain, including the long-undefeated “Gypsy King,” Tyson Fury.
Fury’s record took its first hit (34-1-1) at the hands of Ukraine’s Usyk, who defeated him via a thrilling split decision in May 2024 (watch highlights). The victory kept Usky undefeated at 22-0, adding the World Boxing Championship (WBC) Heavyweight crown to his resume. Going forward, he and Fury are expected to rematch, but Usyk’s coach, Sergey Lapin, expects crazy possibilities afterward.
“He’s proven he’s the best of this generation and once he’s retired Tyson Fury, he will consider his options,” Lapin told Betway. “Maybe that’s dropping down in weight again or maybe there’s a wildcard option on the table for him, be it in the boxing ring, the MMA cage, or even Conor McGregor’s Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
“Can you imagine Usyk and Jon Jones fighting to prove they’re the baddest man on the planet?” he continued. “Or maybe it’s a third fight with Anthony Joshua in the MMA cage. Maybe it’s Jake Paul at Cruiserweight, although Usyk would need to fight him with one hand behind his back though to make it fair.”
The most likely match up of what Lapin mentioned would be Paul simply because it would theoretically remain in the boxing world. Paul, 27, currently has his hands full with two scheduled matches. First, “The Problem Child” will battle BKFC star, Mike Perry, in Tampa, Florida this weekend (Sat., July 20, 2024). The Perry match fills in for Paul’s originally planned pairing with boxing legend, Mike Tyson, who he’ll now take on in November 2024.