Oleksandr Usyk appears ready to return to cruiserweight for what he called “a big fight” against the current WBA and WBO unified world champion David Benavidez.
A former undisputed champion at 200 pounds, Usyk cleared out the division in a previous era, beating Murat Gassiev, Mairis Briedis and Tony Bellew, among other cruiserweights.
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That was in 2018.
The following year, he moved up to heavyweight and became an undisputed champion in that division as well in 2024, lapping the competition by beating Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury, and Anthony Joshua twice each.
During Usyk’s stint at heavyweight, David Benavidez infiltrated the pound-for-pound conversation because of his successes from super middleweight to cruiserweight, most recently beating Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez by sixth-round knockout in his last bout.
“We have spoken to Usyk about [him] coming down to cruiserweight,” Benavidez told Fight Hub on Wednesday. “It would be for undisputed [championship status], obviously.”
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On Saturday, ringside in Riyadh for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s WBC super middleweight world title win over Christian Mbilli, Usyk made his decision official.
“I cleaned heavyweight [out] and am back at my weight,” he said on the DAZN broadcast, lifting his shirt to show his abdominal muscles, while saying he’s currently walking around at 96 or 97 kilograms (211.5 to 213.5 pounds).
Against the kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, whom he beat by 11th round knockout in May, Usyk weighed 233 pounds — the heaviest he’d ever been, even at heavyweight. Benavidez weighed 197 pounds the day before he beat “Zurdo” Ramirez earlier this year.
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On Benavidez as a prospective opponent, Usyk said: “At cruiserweight if I have [an] opportunity, I bet, it is a big fight because Benavidez is a big champion. Me, a little bit too.”
Benavidez is first scheduled to face WBC champion Michal Cieslak in a three-belt unification bout on Dec. 5.
The IBF championship is currently vacant, meaning either Benavidez or Usyk would need to win it for a fight between them to be for the undisputed title.
