Oleksandr Usyk facing Canelo Alvarez at heavyweight is no longer a fantasy match-up. The formidable Ukrainian wants the fight to happen.
After defeating Anthony Joshua in an August rematch in Saudi Arabia, Usyk wants three more bouts before retirement.
Canelo, who recently defeated Gennadiy Golovkin in a trilogy fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is on Usyk’s shortlist.
The two boxers could meet after Usyk becomes undisputed heavyweight champion. Either he faces Tyson Fury or somebody else for the WBC belt.
Once claimed, the man holding the WBA, IBF, and WBO belts would be willing to give Canelo a title shot in his bid to create further history.
Despite losing to Dmitry Bivol via unanimous decision victory for the pre-fight underdog, Canelo is still a former champion at light-heavyweight. This scenario means he’s won world titles in four separate weight classes.
Cruiserweight and bridgerweight provide opportunities for a fifth and sixth. However, the upper limit is the holy grail for Canelo.
Will Oleksandr Usyk fight Canelo Alvarez?
Speaking in an interview with Parimatch on his YouTube channel, Usyk green-lit a future fan-friendly battle with the undisputed super middleweight belt holder.
“I can fight three more times,” Usyk revealed. “It’s a realistic perspective of my top form.
“After my bout [with Anthony Joshua], I can fight three more times at my best.
“[I want to fight] with Fury, Canelo, and the farewell fight at Olympiyskyi [Stadium in Ukraine].”
On Canelo, Usyk admitted he’d agree to the bout, knowing it was merely a Pay Per View blockbuster and nothing more.
“Yes, with Canelo. He wanted to fight with me. But it will be a ‘freak’ fight, just to earn money.”
It seems Usyk has given up on facing Tyson Fury for the time being.
Tyson Fury
“Despite his toughness and how he is generally described, he is afraid,” said Usyk on “The Gypsy King,” possibly agreeing to fight fellow Brit Joshua in the first fight of two.
“I will not support either. But I won’t even watch this fight. I don’t want to. OK, just joking,” he chuckled.
“I will even go to watch live how they will throw punches at each other. Honestly, I don’t think about them at all. Want to know what I’m really thinking about?
“I want to see my children, hug and kiss them. That’s all I’m thinking about. I only need to beat him [Fury], and then that’s it. Time to retire.”
Whether Usyk is describing Fury as the final time he’ll be in a competitive fight may have been lost in the translation. But it does seem that Usyk is not looking at Canelo as a real test.
Moving up in weight
If he stands any chance of eventually trading with Usyk in the future, Canelo Alvarez will have to move up gradually as he moved too quickly in recent years. The 32-year-old needs to claim a 175-pound title before challenging one of the world champion fighters at cruiserweight.
Eventually, if the superstar with the cinnamon nickname bypasses bridgerweight, a heavyweight encounter could be on the cards in 2024.
DAZN PPV and Eddie Hearn would be all over the collision as they were with the GGG third fight. Both men could earn massive sums before retirement.
The most likely venue would be the United States. Either the MGM Grand or the T-Mobile Arena.
Usyk must first consider Joe Joyce as his mandatory challenger. A knockout win over Joseph Parker on Saturday night could be pivotal to whether Usyk keeps all his belts intact for a return in 2023.
Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
