Oleksandr Usyk is thinking about his next move after beating Tyson Fury twice. The Ukrainian fighter has cleaned out the heavyweight division and cemented his place as the top dog of his era.
Usyk's got a lot to be proud of. He's unified the WBC, WBA, and WBO heavyweight titles. He's also become the undisputed champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. That's no small feat.
Now, a new challenger has stepped up. Jai Opetaia, the unbeaten IBF world cruiserweight champion, wants a piece of Usyk. The Australian fighter has a perfect record in 27 fights and has beaten Mairis Briedis twice in 2022 and 2024.
Opetaia's not shy about his ambitions. He's offered Usyk two options: come back down to cruiserweight or face him at heavyweight. Eddie Hearn, Opetaia's promoter, thinks his fighter has what it takes to give Usyk a real challenge.
"The medium focus right now is every belt in the division and the long term focus is to fight Usyk for the unified heavyweight world championship. I believe he is the only fighter who can give Usyk a real fight over the next 12-18 months."
So, what does Usyk think about all this? He told iFL TV:
"I don't know, maybe. He's [Opetaia] a great fighter."
But Usyk's not in a rush to make any decisions. He added, "Now, just rest. No think about boxing."
There's also talk about a potential rematch with Daniel Dubois. Usyk beat Dubois in August 2023, but there was some controversy over a body shot that landed on Usyk's belt line. Since then, Dubois has captured the IBF heavyweight title and defended it against Anthony Joshua in September. He even stormed the ring after Usyk's win in December, gunning for another shot.
At 38, Usyk's still undefeated and at the top of his game. But with younger fighters like 29-year-old Opetaia coming up, he'll have to pick his next moves carefully.
