Usyk vs. Beterbiev at Cruiserweight: Who Would Win? An Ex-Sparring Partner’s Take

American boxer Lionell Thompson, a former sparring partner of unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, shared his thoughts on who would win if Beterbiev faced two-time unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.

– If a fight happens between David Benavidez and Beterbiev, will the winner top the P4P rankings? Will they rank above Usyk and Crawford?

– That’s a tough question because Usyk has beaten Anthony Joshua twice, defeated Daniel Dubois, and Tyson Fury, and was the undisputed champion at cruiserweight. Usyk is my number one, regardless of anything. You can’t deny that.

– If Beterbiev beats Benavidez and then Bivol in a rematch, what should he do?

– He should retire. Who else is there for him to fight? Canelo isn’t moving up to him.

– Can he move up in weight? Could he face Usyk at cruiserweight? If Usyk and Beterbiev meet at cruiserweight, who would win?

– Usyk.

– Why?

– Because of his skills; he’s much bigger, so he can take Beterbiev’s punch, Thompson stated.

Beterbiev became the unified champion on October 13 after defeating Dmitry Bivol.