Oleksandr Usyk is getting ready for a big fight next month. He'll face Tyson Fury again to defend his WBA, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles. But there's already talk of another challenger on the horizon.
Gilberto Ramirez, who currently holds a cruiserweight title, has his eyes on moving up to heavyweight. He's particularly interested in a potential match-up with Usyk.
Usyk has had an impressive career so far. He won an Olympic gold medal in 2012 and became the undisputed cruiserweight champion in 2018. Since moving up to heavyweight, he's beaten some big names like Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois, and Tyson Fury. His recent victory over Fury made him a four-belt heavyweight champion, though he's since given up the IBF title.
Ramirez, a former super-middleweight champion, is working his way up the weight classes. He's got a record of 46 wins and just one loss, which came against Dmitry Bivol. This month, he's got a world title unification bout with Chris Billam-Smith at cruiserweight.
But Ramirez is already thinking about the future. In an interview with Seconds Out, he shared his thoughts on Usyk:
"Usyk is a small heavyweight but a champion. I think it would be a good match. I have been watching him and following him a lot. I'd probably meet him at heavyweight."
Ramirez also gave his prediction for the upcoming Usyk-Fury rematch:
"Usyk [will win]. He has so much skill and he moves really good, he needs to be really sharp that night."
For now, Usyk's focus will be on his rematch with Fury in December. If he wins, he might look to reunify all four major belts with a rematch against Daniel Dubois. But with fighters like Ramirez eyeing a move to heavyweight, Usyk's future challenges could come from unexpected places.
