Oleksandr Usyk, who holds three heavyweight championship titles, will soon defend his belts against likely rivals, including old acquaintances from the boxing ring.
Although the highly anticipated fight for the absolute in the heavyweight division between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk has been officially cancelled, Usyk's journey continues as he prepares to face a new opponent.
Joe Joyce is a more difficult opponent than Fury
Alex Krassyuk, the promoter of Oleksandr Usyk, who currently holds the WBA, WBO, IBO, and IBF heavyweight championship titles, recently discussed potential opponents for Usyk's next fight.
"We've got 3 mandatories: Daniel Dubois, number 1 in the role, WBA. Then IBF, it's Filip Hrgovic from Croatia, is number 2. And the interim WBO Champion Joe Joyce, number 3.
I would say that the toughest test for Usyk, of those three, is Joe Joyce, 100%. That would be a complicated fight for Usyk. I think it might be even [a] more complicated fight than with Tyson Fury," Krassyuk said in an interview with Fighting On The Inside Podcast.
Oleksandr Usyk has previously faced Joe Joyce in a boxing match during the 2013 WSB league, where he represented the "Ukrainian Atamans" team and secured a victory against Joyce from the "Lionhearts" on points.
Interestingly, Joe Joyce is currently the top challenger to fight the "Gypsy King," but he must first defeat Zhang Zhilei from China.
As a result, it is probable that Usyk will encounter the regular WBA world champion, Daniel Dubois.