Oleksandr Usyk will fight in July or August 2025 to defend his unified heavyweight title. He beat former WBC champion Tyson Fury by a 12-round unanimous decision in their rematch last Saturday night in Riyadh.
The fight was an easier one for Usyk than their previous bout due to Fury opting to lift 281 pounds and being too heavy to do much of anything in the fight.
Tyson looked in poor physical shape as if he made a mock effort in training camp to prepare for the rematch. It was embarrassing to watch, and it must have been disappointing for his fans. Looking at Fury’s midriff, you could see that he had been eating well during camp.
Who’s next?
Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, told Boxingscene that Oleksander (23-0, 14 KOs) will rest until next summer. There is no word on who Usyk may face next. These interesting options for Usyk to make a voluntary defense:
– Agit Kabayel
– Moses Itauma
– Fabio Wardley
– Martin Bakole
British fans are talking together It will hurt after his win over journeyman Demsey McKean last Saturday night. If Itauma’s promoter believes in him, he needs to put his faith to the test by matching him against Usyk while he’s still in the game. If they wait, Usyk will retire, and Itauma will stick to fighting no names.
The timing could mean that a unification bout against IBF champion Daniel Dubois is not an option for Usyk’s next fight. Dubois defends his belt against Joseph Parker on February 22, and it would be a quick turnaround for him to return to camp to begin training for a bout against Usyk in July or August.
The 27-year-old Dubois is young enough to get back in the ring quickly, but he won’t be at his best as it will take him time to prepare for Usyk’s style. He can’t do that with a short huddle during training camp.
If Dubois goes into the fight against the talented Ukrainian, he could still regret it and suffer another knockout loss like in their first fight last year on August 26 in Wroclaw, Poland. Usyk boxed Dubois through eight rounds and then poured it out in the ninth round to knock out the tired giant.
Like the first one, it wasn’t a punishing fight for Usyk, as he outplayed Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) and took advantage of his limited mobility to work him with combinations.
He showed that the Gypsy King has lost a lot of his game over the last four years, exhausted from his three fights against ‘The Bronze Bomber’ Deontay Wilder.
