Usyk eyes 'final chapter' at cruiserweight against Benavidez
Former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is eyeing a return to cruiserweight to fight David Benavidez before retiring from boxing, says his adviser.
Key points
- Oleksandr Usyk plans to return to cruiserweight in 2027 and become undisputed champion again.
- His adviser Sergey Lapin says Usyk wants a vacant title fight first, then a unification bout with David Benavidez.
- Usyk, 39, last fought in May, beating Rico Verhoeven before vacating his heavyweight titles.
Oleksandr Usyk is planning a return to cruiserweight in 2027 to fight David Benavidez before retiring, according to his adviser Sergey Lapin. The 39-year-old Ukrainian last fought in May, beating Rico Verhoeven before vacating his heavyweight titles.
Usyk had spoken of a "last dance" in boxing, which was expected to be at heavyweight, but Lapin says the former undisputed champion now intends to move down a division.
Planned route to undisputed
Lapin said Usyk first wants to fight for a vacant cruiserweight world title. The goal after that is to face undefeated American Benavidez and unify all the belts.
Lapin described 2027 as "the final chapter" of Usyk's career and said Usyk wants to finish as undisputed champion in the division where he first won all the belts.
Oleksandr aims to return to cruiserweight in 2027 and become undisputed again
— Sergey Lapin
Records and titles
Usyk won 16 fights at cruiserweight and became undisputed champion before moving to heavyweight in 2019. There he became a two-time undisputed champion, beating Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois twice each, and his undefeated record stands at 25 fights.
Benavidez, 29, has won all 32 professional fights and holds the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles. He will fight Poland's Michal Cieslak for the WBC belt on 5 December, while the IBF belt is vacant after Jai Opetaia was stripped of it in March.
