Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk has responded to promoter Oscar De La Hoya’s statement this week that unified heavyweight champion Usyk will return to cruiserweight to face the winner of Saturday night’s unification bout between champions Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and Chris Billiam-Smith dare Usyk still must kill the ogre again before he can make a decision on whether to return to the dead, lifeless cruiserweight division to go uncontested again. I wouldn’t do it if I were Usyk.
Krassyuk said Usyk is only focusing on his Dec. 21 rematch against Tyson Fury. No decision will be made by Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) until after that fight. Alex notes that De La Hoya is doing his job to promote ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez’s career. In other words, De La Hoya will do what he can to create false hype for Ramirez’s fight against Billiam-Smith.
Good to know, there is almost no buzz for the Ramirez-Billiam-Smith fight from American fans. They see it as a lackluster fight, mostly because Zurdo Ramirez has a boring style, and Billiam-Smith is an obscure champion who finishes non-stop.
This is the type of fight where the average fan turns the channel and watches something else. The real interest on Saturday’s card is the William Zepeda vs. Tevin Farmer fight at lightweight.
If Usyk does return to cruiserweight, he would be better off choosing IBF champion Jai Opetaia for his first fight because he is considered the division’s number one fighter. This would be the best option for Usyk to fight and then the easier fight against the winner of the Ramirez vs. Billiam-Smith fight as they are both extremely limited fighters talent wise.
Usyk focused on Rematch With Fury
“Our immediate horizon is Tyson Fury. Then we decide. Oscar (De La Hoya) does his best to promote Zurdo. That’s his job as a promoter,” manager Alex Krassyuk told Sky Sports Boxing on X when asked about his fighter Oleksandr Usyk returning to cruiserweight to fight the winner of Saturday’s unification bout between champions Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and Chris Billiam-Smith.
These would be easy fights for Usyk. The tough one would be Opetaia, but only because of his power. Opetaia isn’t much of a boxer, and as we saw in his rematch with Mairis Briedis, he doesn’t respond well to pressure.
Usyk turns 38 on January 17, and it will be important for him to take on his toughest challenge right away if he decides to drop back down to cruiserweight to try to become undisputed champion a second time.
On another note: Usyk would be taking a massive pay cut to return to cruiserweight rather than stick to heavyweight for lucrative fights against Anthony Joshua and perhaps a trilogy against Fury.
There is no real upside for Usyk to return to cruiserweight to try to become undisputed champion a second time. Gilberto Ramirez is not popular in the US or worldwide. The same goes for Billiam-Smith and Opetaia. The money Usyk would get and the praise of going uncontested again would be minimal. Fans won’t be thrilled with that performance.
WBA Cruiserweight Champion ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (46-1, 30 KOs) vs. WBO Champion Billiam-Smith (20-1, 13 KOs) in the 12-round main event this Saturday, November 16 at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Arabia. The event will be shown live on DAZN.
