How Good Is Oleksandr Usyk? | Ukraine Boxing Legend

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If Tyson Fury defeats Dereck Chisora for the third time on December 3, his co-promoter believes the unbeaten WBC heavyweight champion will face Oleksandr Usyk next.

According to Bob Arum, the promotional plan is for Fury and Usyk to square off late in the winter at a location to be determined in the Middle East. If Usyk and Fury fight, the victor will become boxing's first fully unified heavyweight champion since the four-belt era began.

"I think everyone on Fury's side believes that. And I know they feel that way because Egis [Klimas, Usyk's manager] is such a good friend of mine - and Usyk, by the way. So I don't see any impediment to finishing that fight before Ramadan. That's what Tyson wants, and that's what Usyk wants. So it would be insane not to schedule this for either the last week of February or the first week of March."

Because all Middle Eastern countries observe the Muslim month of fasting, prayer, and reflection, the start of Ramadan is an important deadline if they are to avoid pushing Fury-Usyk into the spring. Ramadan will begin on March 22 and end on April 21.

Arum suggested that a Fury-Usyk fight could take place in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, or the United Arab Emirates, depending on where investors put up the money to fund their eight-figure purses.

Ukraine's Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) defeated Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) by unanimous decision in their 12-round rematch on August 20 at Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to retain his IBF, IBO, WBA, and WBO belts. Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) of England has not fought in a Middle Eastern country, but the former IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO champion has expressed interest in boxing Usyk somewhere in the region.

"He'll be a star wherever he can get exposure," Arum predicted. "Forget about his fighting ability, which is obviously on a high level and makes him a lot of fun to watch. However, he is primarily a performer. "Have you ever seen a fighter conduct himself like Tyson Fury?"

Of course, first and foremost, the Manchester native must defeat Chisora (33-12, 23 KOs) in what is widely regarded as a warm-up fight for the heavily favored Fury, which takes place two weeks from Saturday night at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

In their first fight, a 12-rounder in July 2011 at Wembley Arena in London, Fury, 34, easily outpointed Chisora. Fury easily defeated the Zimbabwe-born, London-based Chisora in their rematch, which was stopped after 10 one-sided rounds at ExCeL London in November 2014.

By agreeing to face Chisora a third time, Fury has invited criticism. The 38-year-old Chisora did, however, cause Usyk problems during a 12-round fight in October 2020 at Wembley Arena, which the former undisputed cruiserweight champion won by unanimous decision.

"These fights are dangerous because you're in the heavyweight division, and these big guys, by and large, all have tremendous [power]," Arum explained. "And if you're not careful, you could get hit on the chin and go out."

Oleksandr Usyk's management is unconcerned about a recent mandatory order to face Filip Hrgovic. Usyk, the IBF, WBO, IBO, and WBA heavyweight champion, is coming off back-to-back decision victories over Anthony Joshua.

The IBF recently ordered a mandatory fight between Usyk and Hrgovic, and Eddie Hearn, Hrgovic's co-promoter, has requested an immediate purse bid.

Usyk hopes to have Fury in the ring in the first quarter of next year.

"We expect his next fight to be for the undisputed title, so it will most likely take place in the Middle East," Krassyuk said.

However, BOXXER promoter Ben Shalom would love to assist Usyk in getting his fights in the UK.

"We believe his fights should take place in the United Kingdom." We'd love to work with Oleksandr, and we're talking about it," Shalom told Sky Sports.

"He wants to fight in the UK because he knows it's a very strong market." We've seen him so many times over here; we'd love to have him over in the UK, really build his message and following, and have him on our side. Because he's always come here, whether it's [against Tony] Bellew or [Derek] Chisora, and he's always been the underdog.

"I think British fans have really bought into Oleksandr Usyk and his personality in recent years, and everything he's done in Ukraine is also inspiring." I believe the UK can rally behind that. He has the potential to become a star in the United Kingdom. He can be the home fighter for the first time, and he's obviously a unified world champion and one of the sport's biggest stars right now."

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