Oleksandr Usyk has no plans to make a cruiserweight return, but won’t rule out fighting UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
UFC CEO Dana White is not a fan of “stupid” crossover fights that pit MMA champions against boxing titleholders, which may come as a surprise when you consider the Las Vegas fight boss was one of the driving forces between Conor McGregor’s weasel-infested showdown against Floyd Mayweather back in summer 2017.
Perhaps he’ll make an exception for heavyweight kingpin Oleksandr Usyk.
“First, is who wins the next fight on Feb. 22,” Usyk told TNT Sports about his two-fight retirement plan, expected to get underway later this year. “Next? Maybe a show fight with Alex Pereira. Maybe … why not? Alex wants to.”
Pereira called out Usyk just a few weeks back.
There’s a lot of work to be done before either side can entertain talk of a crossover fight. Usyk must first put his boxing belts on the line against the winner of Daniel Dubois vs. Jospeh Parker, who collide on Feb. 22 in Riyadh. Shortly after that, Pereira faces Magomed Ankalaev atop the UFC 313 fight card on March 8 in Las Vegas.