Oleksandr Usyk is set to fight on one more occasion before hanging up the gloves, promising to have a ‘last dance’ as he calls time on an astounding career. Now, the Ukrainian has revealed that there are only two current candidates under consideration to be his final opponent.
Usyk claimed the undisputed crown at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, with a historic win over Tyson Fury seeing the southpaw technician become the first to simultaneously hold all of the recognised heavyweight world titles in the four-belt era.
An underwhelming performance against Rico Verhoeven last time out though appears to have convinced the 39-year-old that his powers are fading and that it is time to walk away from the sport.
Speaking with Daily Mail Boxing, Usyk announced that his ‘last dance’ will take place against a ‘big name’ in the United States.
“‘Last Dance’ is [going to be in the] U.S.A. maybe in New York, [in a] stadium. It’s [going to be against] a big name.”
The veteran was then asked to define whom he believes to be ‘big names’ amongst his heavyweight rivals, with Fury and Deontay Wilder being the only two he’s interested in fighting next.
“[Big names are] ‘Greedy Belly’ [Tyson Fury] and Deontay Wilder. We work about this.”
Recent reports suggest that Usyk and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ could collide in a clash for the Zuffa Boxing heavyweight world title. Usyk did not confirm or deny this, admitting that his mind is currently focused on boxing training rather than boxing.
“I cannot say about this [whether I will fight under the Zuffa banner] because now my team work about my next fight. It’s Zuffa, [then it’s] not Zuffa.
“Now, I [do] not think about boxing. I think about training for boxing; cardio? Of course. Cross-fight? Of course. Swimming pool? No. Sauna? Yes. Rest, time with my family, with my child.”
Usyk also went on to state that his career finale will not take place until December at the earliest, with Fury expected to take on Anthony Joshua the month prior – thus making Wilder the likely candidate.
