Usyk: "Rematch with Fury and Maybe a Third Fight with Joshua"

WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) discussed his remaining ambitions in boxing.

– After the fight with Fury, what remains a challenge for you? For example, selling out Madison Square Garden – is that a goal for you?

– My goal isn’t to sell out Madison Square Garden. My goal is to fill the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv during peaceful times. That’s something I really want. Madison is a great place, but I want to make my fans happy. I’m sure the entire stadium, all 80,000 seats, would be sold out. God willing, it will happen.

– The rematch with Fury is no longer for the undisputed title. You gave up the IBF belt. How fair is that for Fury from a sporting perspective?

– There’s no fair or unfair here. It’s all professional. We could have kept fighting and holding onto that belt, but I’d still need to defend it, either against Dubois or later against Joshua. We’re doing what we need to do. We gave up the belt because the rematch with Fury is coming up, and every fight requires serious preparation. It’s a long-term effort involving the whole team.

Everyone says, "Usyk won. Usyk, Usyk-karapuzik!" But there’s a team, a coach, massage therapists – over 100 people. These people are the strength behind who I am.

– Are there still opponents in boxing that interest you?

– Well, it’s the rematch with Fury and maybe a third fight with Joshua. Only those two guys interest me; after that, it’s time for the younger generation to step up and work.

Oleksandr Usyk fought Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) in 2021 and 2022, winning both times by decision. On May 18, Usyk defeated Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years. The rematch is scheduled for December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.