Oleksandr Usyk could pursue an unexpected prize ahead of competing in ‘his last dance.’
The Ukrainian relinquished his WBC, IBF and WBA titles in June, whilst also revealing that, after having become a three-time, two-division undisputed king, he is now just one ‘last dance’ away from retirement.
This announcement came roughly a month after his subpar performance against former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven, who gave a tremendous effort but was eventually stopped in round 11 of their heavyweight clash.
But while many suspected that a Verhoeven rematch was on the cards, it would appear that Usyk is more likely to face Deontay Wilder, a fellow veteran and former WBC champion.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ comes off a split decision victory over Derek Chisora, who he floored twice during their chaotic battle in April.
Perhaps more interesting than the opponent, though, is the fact that Team Usyk has engaged in serious talks with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.
Speaking with Parimatch Casino, Usyk’s advisor Sergey Lapin confirmed that the 39-year-old could even fight for the promotional outfit’s inaugural heavyweight belt.
“Usyk vs Wilder is definitely one of the loudest and most realistic options right now, and we have had conversations with Zuffa. But there is no agreement yet, and the final structure and numbers still need to make sense.
“From Zuffa’s side, Oleksandr would obviously bring immediate legitimacy to their heavyweight title and the whole boxing project. From our side, it has to be much bigger than simply helping establish a new belt. It needs to be the right opponent, the right platform and the right financial package for Oleksandr’s final chapter.”
Lapin added that first refusal to stage Usyk’s swansong will be given to Turki Alalshikh, who happens to be closely aligned with Zuffa.
