Eddie Hearn: Anthony Joshua Is Interested In A Fight With Oleksandr Usyk
Undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is ready to make the step up to heavyweight and one of the division’s champions is tempted to have a fight with him.
According to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn who spoke to Sky Sports, unified WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is “intrigued” with a potential fight. Hearn stated that Joshua respects Usyk as a fighter and believes that fight is certainly doable.
“I think he’s intrigued by Usyk. I think he would like to fight Usyk, I think he would like to fight everybody who he views as a top-level fighter… That could end up being a huge, huge fight, but I think Usyk in the post-fight interview was very sensible, and said this division is not a joke,” Hearn said.
Usyk hinted at a potential move up in weight after his latest fight, an eighth-round knockout victory over former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew on November 10. Usyk has been interested in a potential fight against Joshua, even going as far as signing a co-promotional deal with Hearn.
There is the possibility of Usyk fighting Joshua in 2019 as Joshua is scheduled to have a title defense in Wembley Stadium in April 2019, but any talks of Joshua vs. Usyk being the main event are extremely premature at this point. More than anything, Usyk would likely test the heavyweight waters for a couple of fights before moving forward with a battle against Joshua, according to Hearn.
Joshua isn’t the only British heavyweight star that has Usyk on his mind as top contender Dillian Whyte also stated he would be interested in a fight against the undefeated cruiserweight.
