Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury could fight twice in 2024
Betway spoke to Alex Krassyuk, the promoter of Oleksandr Usyk, ahead of the undisputed showdown with Tyson Fury on February 17.The Ukrainian promoter has confirmed there's a rematch clause in the contract for the undisputed showdown in Saudi next year, as well as revealing that Usyk aims to continue boxing for another three years.
To confirm, there is a rematch clause regardless of the result?
AK: Yes, we have discussed that in any case, when you have a blockbuster fight you have to see the sequel. We are dealing with Tyson Fury and sometimes a bad day comes, even two times in a row, and a man who can complain about. But Oleksandr will happily give him a rematch.
If Oleksandr wins, where does he rank in the all-time greats?
AK: It’s up to the fans to rank his achievements but it is not for us to talk about right now. Maybe in five or 10 years’ time, people will realise how big it was like how people see Evander Holyfield being one of the biggest Olympic stars and then won at cruiserweight and then heavyweight. He is around 60 years old now but we see how big he was and how big he is now.
Could Deontay Wilder be an opponent for Usyk after Fury?
AK: It’s not the right time to talk about it. I can tell you Deontay Wilder is in the top 3 heavyweights in the world and of course, a fight with him is something worth doing and worth seeing for me, as a boxing fan. It would be a great fight for sure so let’s see. But from the point of view of Usyk’s career, it depends on how the fight with Tyson goes, the time length of the rematch and the second thing, let’s not forget the fights Wilder and Anthony Joshua have on December 23.
Joseph Parker is a technician and can do severe damage to a guy who is not strong in boxing techniques but has the power in the punch. We have seen many times that it is Wilder’s weakness – he is a puncher not a boxer. For Joshua, this is also a big challenge as Otto Wallin is one of the most underrated fighters in the division. He is an awkward southpaw and Joshua is coming on the back of two losses and his comeback fights didn’t go too well. They are both great fights.
How long will Oleksandr Usyk continue?
AK: He’s 36 now and still has three years to go at his best. The only issue or concern we have is the health issue so that could be a problem. If his body is still ready to fight, then I don’t think he’s going to quit. Let me tell you, I have been dealing with Oleksandr Usyk since his first professional fight in 2013 and we have been very close with each other over the last 10 years, but he is a young kid in his soul and has never experienced retirement or really imagine how hard it is for a fighter to retire from boxing.
I just reminded Vitali Klitschko that he retired from boxing for four years and then came back and won the WBC belt. The reason was not for the money but because he was missing the sport. He was a politician already and a businessman, but he missed it so much and despite being over 50, he is still in training. The Mayor of Kyiv still misses it and when we speak about boxing, I still see the inspiration coming from Vitali.
Article sponsored by HÖRFA