Eddie Hearn: There’s Several Heavyweights That Can Fight Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk‘s probable move up to heavyweight will attract several heavyweights to come out and fight him, according to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.
Hearn spoke with Sky Sports and touched on the undisputed cruiserweight champion’s desire to fight in boxing’s biggest weight class. Usyk has previously stated that he wants a shot at Anthony Joshua, the unified WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion. While Hearn did not say that Usyk could be fighting Joshua anytime soon, the British promoter did reveal a list of names that could potentially be the cruiserweight’s heavyweight pro debut opponent.
“Ultimately if he talks about the likes of Joshua, he needs to move into those realms of opponents and size, sooner rather than later. You look at the opponents for Usyk at heavyweight – Jarrell Miller, Dillian Whyte, Dereck Chisora, Adam Kownacki, Luis Ortiz. There’s so many fights for him at heavyweight that he could jump straight into,” Hearn said
Usyk recently wrapped up his first title defense as boxing’s undisputed champion, knocking out former titleholder Tony Bellew in the eighth round of their fight on November 10. The fight concluded Usyk’s historic 2018, which saw him defeat Murat Gassiev and Mairis Briedis to win the World Boxing Super Series and unify all four major world titles.
After the fight against Bellew, Usyk further reiterated his intentions of moving up in weight in the hopes he fights Joshua. Joshua is currently scheduled to headline the April 2019 boxing card at Wembley Stadium, but does not have an opponent yet.
