Oleksandr Usyk to Face David Benavidez in Cruiserweight Return
Oleksandr Usyk, at the age of 39, is set to return to cruiserweight for a unification fight with David Benavidez, as confirmed by his adviser Sergey Lapin. This move comes after Usyk's last fight in May, where he defeated Rico Verhoeven and subsequently relinquished his heavyweight titles.
Initially, Usyk had indicated a desire for one more fight at heavyweight, but Lapin revealed that the plan has shifted to cruiserweight for 2027. Usyk aims to first compete for a vacant world title before facing the undefeated American Benavidez, who currently holds the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles.
Usyk's goal is to conclude his career as the undisputed champion in the division where he first achieved all his belts. Throughout his career, Usyk has been dominant at cruiserweight, winning 16 fights and becoming the undisputed champion before moving to heavyweight in 2019.
His professional record stands at 25 fights unbeaten. Benavidez, 29, has a perfect record of 32 wins and is scheduled to fight Michal Cieslak for the WBC belt on December 5.
Plus234Feed summary based on reporting from Leadership Newspaper. Read the original report below.
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