Oleksandr Usyk has revealed a three-fight plan before his retirement from the sport, but Zuffa Boxing CEO Dana White has admitted that he wishes to intervene and stage a clash between the Ukrainian and one of his undefeated champions.
Usyk remains unbeaten after 24 professional contests, despite an arduous run of fights that have seen him become an undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, cementing himself as a modern pound-for-pound standout.
Now, the 39-year-old is approaching the end of his astonishing career, having opened up on his plans to have three more fights, beginning with Rico Verhoeven in May and then against two British opponents, before hanging up the gloves.
Yet, whilst not mentioned on Usyk’s hit-list, Dana White has thrown Jai Opetaia’s name into the mix, admitting that he would like to see how the reigning Zuffa cruiserweight champion would fare against the dominant heavyweight ruler, in a clip captured by Seconds Out.
“I want to see the best fighters in the world fight the best fighters in the world. I would like to see Jai Opetaia fight Usyk.”
At present, a fight between the pair seems unlikely, though Opetaia may indeed make a move to heavyweight sooner rather than later given he has now been officially stripped of his IBF cruiserweight belt after weeks of back and forth.
Usyk will return to action on Saturday, May 23, as he offers a controversial world title shot to Dutch kickboxing champion, Verhoeven, in a fight at the Pyramids of Giza that is sure to capture global interest.