1 day ago
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Oleksandr Usyk has several colloquialisms.
One of them is labeling rival Tyson Fury as "greedy belly."
Usyk, a former undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight champion, revealed his hunger to face David Benavidez in a cruiserweight fight next time out in 2027.
"I clean up the heavyweight [division] and back at my weight," Usyk told The Ring's Mike Coppinger during DAZN's broadcast of Canelo Alvarez's points win against Christian Mbilli on October 31.
Usyk then lifted his shirt, punched his stomach and said that he's tipping the scales between 211-13 pounds.
Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) last fought on May 23 in Egypt and weighed a career-high 233 ¼ pounds during a tougher-than-expected, 11th-round stoppage win against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven.
The Ring's No. 2 pound-for-pound also shared his willingness to return to cruiserweight to avoid any potential excuses from Benavidez.
Benavidez has never fought at heavyweight and only made his 200-pound debut in May, blasting Gilberto Ramirez inside six rounds to win the WBA and WBO titles.
“If I have an opportunity at cruiserweight, I'll be back for a big fight because Benavidez is a big champion. Me a little bit, too,” said Usyk. "When I have an opportunity, I take this opportunity. This is life."
Following a pair of wins against Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois each, Usyk appeared inclined to stage an encounter against former long-reigning titleholder Deontay Wilder in what was billed as a retirement fight.
Advanced negotiations have stalled yet again, though, and Wilder appears to have moved on for a potential heavyweight fight against Ring and Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia.
Usyk turns 40 in January, and last fought as a cruiserweight in November 2018 where he viciously stopped Tony Bellew in eight rounds.
As for Benavidez (32-0), "The Mexican Monster" will get better acclimated to his new weight class before a potential pitting against Usyk when facing WBC titleholder Michal Cieslak in a three-belt unification on December 5 in Glendale, Arizona.
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan
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