BoxRec

Oleksandr Usyk plans to return to cruiserweight for his next bout to pursue a super fight with David Benavidez, his advisor Serhii Lapin tells @ringmagazine. Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion, is the Ring Magazine heavyweight champion. Benavidez fights Dec. 5 to unify three cruiserweight titles.

Usyk wants to fight Benavidez at his best. He also wants to be undisputed at cruiserweight once again. The IBF title is currently vacant. Usyk’s last nine fights have taken place at heavyweight. His last cruiserweight bout was an eighth-round KO of Tony Bellew in November 2018.

Usyk by tko if he's in proper shape (which he should be if he's going to make weight!)

If Usyk goes and beats Benavidez and Opetaia at his age then he's a genuine contender for all time P4P number 1 of the heavier weight classes. However, I feel this is too bold of a move and too late to do it. Your chin can get old over night at that age and he might be shocked by how much slower he is compared to the career cruisers after all this time at heavyweight. I don't think that Benavidez Will be able to hurt him but Usuk might not be able to catch him.

joshj909 wrote: ↑30 Oct 2026, 18:00 If Usyk goes and beats Benavidez and Opetaia at his age then he's a genuine contender for all time P4P number 1 of the heavier weight classes. However, I feel this is too bold of a move and too late to do it. Your chin can get old over night at that age and he might be shocked by how much slower he is compared to the career cruisers after all this time at heavyweight. I don't think that Benavidez Will be able to hurt him but Usuk might not be able to catch him.

If he beats those, thats him in the top 3 all time list, simple as.

Rico must really have rung his bell if he thinks this is feasible.

An old fighter going from the high of heavyweight champion to fighting a dangerous hungry fighter the public don't care about in a lower weight division? Where have I heard this one before?

Usyk turns 40 in January and would need to shed roughly 35lbs to make cruiserweight, having spent years building himself into a trim muscled heavyweight.

Losing that much weight is achievable, but doing so at his age without sacrificing strength, stamina or durability is another matter.

He's also been relatively inactive since 2019 (usually competing only once per year), hasn't made 200lbs since 2018, and looked subpar in his most recent outing against Verhoeven.

I'd still favour Usyk to win the IBF cruiserweight title, particularly against Viddal Riley, although David Nyika would present a tougher challenge.

However, I'd currently favour Benavidez or Opetaia to defeat a 200lbs forty-year-old Usyk. Both are younger, physically fresher and have demonstrated strong recent form.

Usyk's past greatness is beyond question, but that doesn't mean he'll still be capable of performing at his peak when he's 40.

joshj909 wrote: ↑30 Oct 2026, 18:00 all time P4P number 1 of the heavier weight classes.

Usyk is incredible but losing 15kg at the age of 40 & then going in against the fastest current fighter over Middleweight (I'm guessing) seems to be beyond the limits of human endurance to me.

Play fair to him for taking challenges at his age when he's earnt an easy payout.

I think his comeback fight at Cruiser should be against Conor Benn.

Post Fury I was in favour of Usyk reclaiming the cruiserweight title because it's never been done, but I think he's left it 18 months too late. I felt beating Opetaia would've done more for his legacy than the Dub rematch.

I've only just learnt Benavidez has more belts than Opetaia after one fight! Given his rep I thought Opetaia at least had the WBA or WBC. Boxing, eh.

Taansend wrote: ↑30 Oct 2026, 20:40

joshj909 wrote: ↑30 Oct 2026, 18:00 all time P4P number 1 of the heavier weight classes.

it's difficult to compare him to the lower weightclasses and most would argue that he hasn't had the opposition to trump some of them but in terms of those who started at middleweight and above, like Ali, Jones Jr, Ward, Lewis, Holyfield, Golovkin, Bivol, Beterbiev, Calzaghe etc, Usyk would have surpassed almost all of them without question by beating Opetaia and Benavidez to re-unify Cruiserweight. I don't see it happening though

joshj909 wrote: ↑31 Oct 2026, 03:40

Taansend wrote: ↑30 Oct 2026, 20:40

joshj909 wrote: ↑30 Oct 2026, 18:00 all time P4P number 1 of the heavier weight classes.

it's difficult to compare him to the lower weightclasses and most would argue that he hasn't had the opposition to trump some of them but in terms of those who started at middleweight and above, like Ali, Jones Jr, Ward, Lewis, Holyfield, Golovkin, Bivol, Beterbiev, Calzaghe etc, Usyk would have surpassed almost all of them without question by beating Opetaia and Beterbiev to re-unify Cruiserweight. I don't see it happening though

he's already beaten Bert

golden_labrador wrote: ↑31 Oct 2026, 04:14

joshj909 wrote: ↑31 Oct 2026, 03:40

Taansend wrote: ↑30 Oct 2026, 20:40

it's difficult to compare him to the lower weightclasses and most would argue that he hasn't had the opposition to trump some of them but in terms of those who started at middleweight and above, like Ali, Jones Jr, Ward, Lewis, Holyfield, Golovkin, Bivol, Beterbiev, Calzaghe etc, Usyk would have surpassed almost all of them without question by beating Opetaia and Beterbiev to re-unify Cruiserweight. I don't see it happening though

he's already beaten Bert

I meant Benavidez! Too many B's around light heavyweight

Report: Oleksandr Usyk planning fight with David Benavidez at cruiserweight

Oleksandr Usyk really could fight David Benavidez in 2027 — at cruiserweight

Oleksandr Usyk vs David Benavidez might be a reality for 2027, and it would see Usyk moving back down to cruiserweight, not Benavidez going up to heavyweight.

Mike Coppinger reports that Usyk’s adviser, Serhii Lapin, told The Ring of the plan.

Usyk vs Benavidez has been floated as an idea before, but it would have seen Benavidez, 29, moving up to heavyweight, where Usyk has campaigned since 2019.

But the former undisputed cruiserweight king would rather face Benavidez (32-0, 26 KO) at cruiserweight, because he’d like to go undisputed at that weight a second time, matching what he’s done as a heavyweight.

Benavidez currently holds the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles, and fights WBC titleholder Michal Cieslak in a three-belt unification on December 5 in Arizona. That leaves just the IBF title, which is currently vacant.

Benavidez has also agreed verbally to fight Jai Opetaia next May, although with Zuffa Boxing’s recent reported struggles, those plans could be anywhere at this point. Still, that’s also been ordered by the WBC, for the winner of Benavidez vs Cieslak to fight Opetaia.

Usyk (25-0, 16 KO) vacated all of the heavyweight titles this year, and his only fight for 2026 is going to wind up being a sort of curious novelty bout where he stopped kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round, after 10 rounds of struggle that left several questions.

It’s entirely possible this would wait until the late summer or early fall of 2027. Usyk’s birthday is in January, so he’ll be 40 if and when this fight does take place, whether it’s that late into next year or earlier.

Benavidez’s father has called Usyk the “biggest challenge” left for his son, and Benavidez himself has discussed his willingness to do the fight, and that was when the working idea was heavyweight.

I hope this is one of those silly stories that quickly disappears.

joshj909 wrote: ↑31 Oct 2026, 03:40
it's difficult to compare him to the lower weightclasses

Assuming he does get down to 200, wins a fight and THEN beats Benavidez he will deserve his applause. He already deserves it but if those two incredible things do happen.....

But that's a lot of ifs and also it's really hard to make these comparisons. At his lightest weight he still weighed more than nearly all the decent heavyweights up until the 1960s.

Also, how do you compare todays boxers with someone like Bob Fitzsimmons? Bob just had his wife and a cutsman. They travelled by boat from Australia to the US & fought twice a month.

Usyk has a team of nutritionists & travels in luxury & trains with scientific preparation.

Comparing todays boxers to the blokes from the 1880s is like comparing Usain Bolt to an Olympian from Ancient Greek days.

Let's see if he can safely get down to 200 first.

Edit to add: P4P means if they all weighed the same so 'P4P for heavier weight classes' is a misnomer.

i remember Usyk saying somewhere that it's a battle to keep the weight on, that he has to eat so much and do bigger weights. maybe they know this is doable

I can’t imagine dropping so much weight at his age is a great idea. Remember how Roy Jones dropped down from heavy and started getting Kod?

Honestly from a legacy and health aspect Usyk should retire. But when there’s £50 million on the table it must be difficult

Taansend wrote: ↑31 Oct 2026, 10:39

joshj909 wrote: ↑31 Oct 2026, 03:40
it's difficult to compare him to the lower weightclasses

Assuming he does get down to 200, wins a fight and THEN beats Benavidez he will deserve his applause. He already deserves it but if those two incredible things do happen.....

But that's a lot of ifs and also it's really hard to make these comparisons. At his lightest weight he still weighed more than nearly all the decent heavyweights up until the 1960s.

Also, how do you compare todays boxers with someone like Bob Fitzsimmons? Bob just had his wife and a cutsman. They travelled by boat from Australia to the US & fought twice a month.

Usyk has a team of nutritionists & travels in luxury & trains with scientific preparation.

Comparing todays boxers to the blokes from the 1880s is like comparing Usain Bolt to an Olympian from Ancient Greek days.

Let's see if he can safely get down to 200 first.

Edit to add: P4P means if they all weighed the same so 'P4P for heavier weight classes' is a misnomer.

No, p4p for heavier weight classes makes sense because it's only including the heavier weightclasses. Generally p4p greats are middleweight or lower because there's a bias against power and durability, and a bias for speed, but some heavier guys are still insanely skilled because they have to carry extra weight, knock out bigger guys and defend against them too.

Fitzsimmons was mostly facing debutants in those weekly fights. Realistically, most of his fights are irrelevant when considered his record against those of today in terms of greatness. You've also got to consider it as what they achieve. Usyk will have achieved something truly great and unquestionably would've beaten Fitzsimmons. Sports science is an irrelevant topic because Fitzsimmons simply didn't have it, neither did his opponents and therefore any conversation about it in relation to him would be purely hypothetical.

Ultimately, Usyk has proven himself as the best Cruiserweight ever, gone up and put himself in a conversation of a top 10 heavyweight ever as he has ruled this era. If he goes down in weight against to retake the cruiserweight crown against genuine contenders, who have the potential to go down as future greats, he will have achieved something that has not been achieved at these weightclasses before. There are IFs, but i said IF they happen. I suspect it won't all go to plan in one way or another.

joshj909 wrote: ↑31 Oct 2026, 14:28
No, p4p for heavier weight classes makes sense because it's only including the heavier weightclasses. Generally p4p greats are middleweight or lower because there's a bias against power and durability, and a bias for speed, but some heavier guys are still insanely skilled because they have to carry extra weight, knock out bigger guys and defend against them too.

Fitzsimmons was mostly facing debutants in those weekly fights. Realistically, most of his fights are irrelevant when considered his record against those of today in terms of greatness. You've also got to consider it as what they achieve. Usyk will have achieved something truly great and unquestionably would've beaten Fitzsimmons. Sports science is an irrelevant topic because Fitzsimmons simply didn't have it, neither did his opponents and therefore any conversation about it in relation to him would be purely hypothetical.

Ultimately, Usyk has proven himself as the best Cruiserweight ever, gone up and put himself in a conversation of a top 10 heavyweight ever as he has ruled this era. If he goes down in weight against to retake the cruiserweight crown against genuine contenders, who have the potential to go down as future greats, he will have achieved something that has not been achieved at these weightclasses before. There are IFs, but i said IF they happen. I suspect it won't all go to plan in one way or another.

Imagine he went back up to heavyweight again after that and became undisputed.

Usyk says he's 96 or 97 (kg) right now.

Which is about 213 pounds or so.

I really don’t want this. Usyk looked awful last time and if he got beat it would not mean much to me.

Although if you had stakes in benevidez it’s a hell of a fight to chase… I can see why they would want each other instead of jai…

To Me both Usyk and Benavidez both would be fools to take this as a Cruiserweight fight.

Benavidez has a chance to win the most coveted title in the sport by fighting at Heavy and Usyk obviously gives himself his best chance of winning at Heavyweight.

It's a 50/50 fight at Heavy. I make Benavidez heavy favorite at Cruiserweight

Old Lions always hang around UNTIL they don't ,, Benavidez , i think would beat him , I just think Usyks ring IQ and athletasism , scuze the spelling but i think you know what i mean , well i think Usyk has had the number of the bigger heavier slower guys for a while , his ring IQ and speed coupled with excellent footwork distancing , and every thing else you need to win fights , just shown through

But i think David , well he can and will match him for footwork and IQ , but he has tremendous hand speed , that will be the factor unless Usyk could ko him Usyk will never get back what he had and LOSE .

But against Jai , well i don't know so much , Jais never fought anyone of that caliber , he would,nt be too fast for Usyk , i doubt he will hurt Usyk too much , and i Know Usyk will catch him and catch him hard ,

Usyk beats Jai , comfortable , unless off course he gets old over night and regresses big time .

Benavidez , well he beats Usyk at cruiserweight .

For what its worth i say David also beats Jai comfortable ,