“The possible options are already there, but it’s too early to announce them. There is a list of people who can go against Usyk in the ring. In the next couple of months there will be several fights that will determine the balance of power. One thing I can say: it will definitely be the heavyweights. In the cruiserweights we completed all our business. Although there is another option - if Andre Ward rises to 200 pounds and wants to fight. He has already expressed such wishes.
- Is there Povetkin in the list of possible rivals of Olexandr?
- Why not. We do not know how it will end up, there are a number of great heavyweights. And you can theoretically arrange a fight with Povetkin. But it is clear that he is not considered by us as the priority option.
- How real is the rematch against Murat Gassiev?
- It is necessary that objective circumstances to be formed for this. Why did we have a fight with Bellew? Because he is a star in England, he has a huge audience there, people buy tickets, buy PPV, and Usyk is not so well known. But he is the undisputed world champion and champion of the London Olympic Games. So this fight has its own history, its own meaning. If mutually beneficial circumstances develop for the fight with Gassiev, it will be organized. And it will not be a rematch, but the battle with its history. It is inappropriate to organize it right now.
Usyk defeated Tony Bellew (30-3-1, 20 KOs) by a knockout in the eighth round. Thus, the Ukrainian defended all his cruiserweight belts.