Who Should Oleksandr Usyk Fight Next?

Ukrainian sensation Oleksandr Usyk has done everything possible to dominate the cruiserweight division and unite the four title belts. In so doing, he was everyone’s 2018 Fighter of the Year. Even his opponents sing his praises as Tony Bellew called him “the greatest man I have ever shared a ring with.”

So now the time has come to move up to heavyweight to see if Usyk can transfer his skills to the top division. As an amateur, he won gold medals at the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics in the 201-pound weight class.

At 6’3’’, Usyk (16-0) has the height but at 200 pounds he will be giving away a lot of poundage to possible opponents like Luis Ortiz, Alexander Povetkin, and Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller—not to mention the height and weight of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. (Deontay Wilder has the height but not the weight or skills and could offer an intriguing financial opportunity down the line.)

“I would like to see him fight AJ. He can work for 12 rounds. He would give Anthony serious problems. I think he can do the same thing [deliver a performance like the one against Gassiev] even against Wilder.”-Naseem Hamed on ITV Box Office

Based on a tweet picked up by Michael Benson, the Boxing Editor of a popular British online magazine, Usyk’s K2 promotor Alex Krassyuk stated there is a 70 percent chance Usyk’s next fight will be a heavyweight debut against either Alexander Povetkin or Luis Ortiz. Furthermore, Krassyuk claims that Jarrell Miller and Joseph Parker already have turned down the fight (an allegation strongly denied by the Parker camp). Miller is understandable given his other possibilities to make serious money, but Parker’s rejection is a bit disappointing, if true.

Other, albeit more remote  possibilities are Joe Joyce, Andy Ruiz, Kubrat Pulev, Lucas Browne, Bryant Jennings, Filip Hrgovic, Manuel Charr, useful Carlos Takam, a possibly shot Dereck Chisora, and even gigantic but ponderous Alexander Ustinov (though this one might have side-show qualities that probably should be avoided).

Ortiz seems very risky at this point. Povetkin, given his less-than compelling performances of late, makes more sense. However, neither can be seen as easy entrance into the heavyweight division. If it is Povetkin, he—the fast-starting 39-year-old Russian—must get the job done early or suffer a troubled evening against a southpaw  opponent who uses angles and slides in-and-out of range and then comes back quickly with heavy counters. But as the Bellew fight showed, Usyk can be caught flush and if he is against the bigger men, the results could be concussive.

The thinking here is that he should debut as a heavyweight with a sure win and then move up in caliber — and that means the winner of the January 18 fight between Bryant Jennings (24-2) and Oscar Rivas (25-0) more than it does Alexander Povetkin or Luis Ortiz.

What do you think?

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