Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk, says he would like to see him ready for a vacant title following his 12-round decision victory over Tyson Fury in their rematch on Saturday night.
They will have to wait for the winner of the February 22 fight between Daniel Dubois, the IBF heavyweight champion, and Joseph Parker before discussions can begin for the undisputed contest with Usyk (23-0, 12 KOs).
Usyk says he is open to any fight, and it will be up to Turki Alalshikh if he wants to fight the Dubois-Parker winner. Oleksandr doesn’t have anyone else to fight, and that would be a big deal for him at heavyweight. He has talked about wanting to drop down to cruiserweight, but he won’t do it if he can get a bigger money fight with Dubois or Parker.
Usyk’s reign
“It was a good game. I’m actually out [words] for this reason. I don’t have much to say. He was an encyclopedia of boxing,” said promoter Alex Krassyuk on iFL TV, talking about his boxer Oleksandr Usyk following his victory over Tyson Fury last Saturday night in Riyadh.
“In 12 rounds, he showed how boxing is done. So, he did it from the bottom. He was laying bricks. Putting windows and a roof, and then he will create a building,” said Krassyuk about Usyk’s work.
“We have been fighting in our rivals’ yards since 2016. That is nothing new to us. That’s a comfortable situation. We got used to it.
“Maybe relax, get his mind right, then get back to training,” Krassyuk said when asked what Fury should do next. “He is a great champion. It’s not what I’d like to see. It’s about what the boxing world would like to see. If they are happy to see this fight, it is perfect.”
Fury will NOT retire because he wants to fight Anthony Joshua, and he understands that. There is a lot of money for him to face AJ, and it would help him recover from his loss against Usyk.
“For me, I would like to see Usyk undisputed #3,” Krassyuk said, making it clear that he wants to see Usyk face the winner of the February 22 fight between IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker.
Turki Alalashikh is also looking for an undisputed fight between Usyk and the winner of Dubois vs. Parker, so there is no problem with making that fight happen as long as something unexpected happens. Anthony Joshua will not be a problem because he has shown that he has no desire for a rematch with Dubois and knows better than to face Usyk a third time.
Fury’s Beard Controversy
“It’s not an issue that affects the outcome of the fight,” said Krassyuk when asked if Fury’s beard was a problem for them in this fight. “It’s just a legal matter whether we comply with the rules or not. The rules state that the beard must be trimmed so that its volume does not interfere with boxing.
“Every organization has that, but it doesn’t specify the exact length of the beard, and for this reason, you can’t know the limit where it goes from legal to illegal,” said Krassyuk.
It is impossible to know if Fury’s beard blocked the impact of Usyk’s punches enough to avoid injury or not. A few moments later, Fury’s head fell back, his eyes turned white as he was hit hard by Usyk. Whether that shot would have done more damage if Fury had shaved is unknown. Would you like to see Fury shave.
What will be interesting to see is if Fury chooses to cut rather than fight. If he does, you have to believe he grew his beard to use as a defense against punches.
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