Artur Beterbiev, world light heavyweight champion according to WBC, WBO, IBF, announced that Alexander UsiK, being the absolute world champion in cruiseweight, refused to fight with him.
"Tendril? No one has promoted this topic; it is not in their favor. When I signed a contract with Top Rank, I also had negotiations with Eddie Hearn (head of Matchroom Boxing). Then Alexander Usik became an absolute. And, it seems, the terms of the contracts were approximately the same, and I told my managers to make an offer to Hearn that if within a year he gives me a fight for the absolute heavyweight title with Usyk, then I will go with him. That is, I don’t look at the details of the contract and go with it. Hearn even had a slightly worse contract. They were there for a week or two... In short, they kept silent. They 100% told Usik’s team about this. They didn't advertise it. Why? Because they won’t say that they gave up on a guy who weighs less. Ten kilograms. Therefore my conscience is clear. I suggested it to him. It was a great chance for me and, above all, it was a sporting component for me. Yes, there was a big chance to immediately become an absolute champion in the first heavyweight division.”
