Oleksandr Usyk is reportedly uninterested in a trilogy bout with one of his former foes, but should nonetheless have plenty of options to consider after his next outing.
The 39-year-old will face Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on May 23, making a full defence of his WBC heavyweight title at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza.
Should he suffer a first professional defeat, as very few expect him to, then Usyk would lose his WBC strap to Verhoeven and could be stripped of his WBA and IBF world titles.
The most likely outcome, however, is that the Ukrainian will retain all three belts and be ordered to face WBC ‘interim’ champion Agit Kabayel.
Either way, Kabayel is set to fight for the full green and gold title later this year, whether it is against Usyk or the next available contender.
For Usyk, though, it would make far more sense to face the unbeaten German than WBO champion Daniel Dubois, who he has already stopped on two separate occasions.
While speaking on Inside The Ring, Mike Coppinger explained that, despite offering him the chance to become a four-time undisputed champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight, the masterful southpaw has zero interest in a trilogy showdown with Dubois.
“I spoke to Usyk’s advisor, Sergey Lapin. You don’t have to worry about a Dubois fight. There’s not any interest there – for good reason.”
As mentioned, Usyk has already become a three-time undisputed champion while having twice defeated Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Dubois.
It is therefore unsurprising that he feels no urge to again face ‘Dynamite’, who became a two-time world champion by stopping Fabio Wardley in round 11 last Saturday.
