THE teams of bona fide heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk and social media influencer Jake Paul have explored the possibility of staging a blockbuster MMA clash.
Their bizarre matchup has been teased by Nakisa Bidarian, the co-founder of MVP Promotions, who insists that both sides have engaged in ‘positive’ talks.
Only, instead of the pair squaring off in a ring, it would appear that an encounter in the octagon – offering Paul, 11-1 (7 KOs), a marginal chance, perhaps – is firmly on the cards.
In any case, Usyk, 23-0 (14 KOs), must first take care of business against IBF titlist Daniel Dubois which, in truth, represents a far more credible assignment for the Ukrainian.
Their rematch will take place at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on July 19, presenting Usyk with the opportunity to become a three-time undisputed champion.
In his first fight against Dubois, ‘The Cat’ hurt his man multiple times before delivering an emphatic ninth-round finish just under two years ago.
A somewhat controversial fifth round, however, saw Usyk drop to the canvas after getting caught with a shot that the referee deemed to be a low blow.
Ever since then, Dubois has claimed that he floored the masterful technician with a legal body shot, his comments only adding an extra layer of intrigue to their upcoming rematch.
Paul, meanwhile, is gearing up to face former world middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr at the Honda Center, California, on June 28.
Even in his pomp, Chavez was by no means a world-beater, with the Mexican having since lost to MMA legend Anderson Silva.
But still, Paul has once again garnered a degree of interest ahead of what could be a truly outlandish dustup with Usyk.
“We’ve had a couple of conversations, all very positive, and it just depends on how the timing lines up,” Paul’s MVP business partner, Bidarian, told Sky Sports. “I think the opportunity is there.
“Jake is crazy enough to do it for sure; Usyk’s side seems very interested in it. So it’s just about lining up the timing and I think eventually it’s something that will happen.”
