Oleksandr Usyk hasn’t exactly taken over the busy heavyweight division. Not yet anyway.
Anticipation of Uysk’s impact was muted by a so-so performance in his heavyweight debut against Chazz Witherspoon in October. Then, it was lost in the crush of news about Tyson Fury’s stunning stoppage of Deontay Wilder.
But forgotten, he’s not.
Usyk’s second bout as a heavyweight is just an announcement away. Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) is expected to face Dereck Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs) on May 23 at the O2 Arena in London.
“It’s been a long process, because it’s a fight that we’d hoped to make for March 28,’’ Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn told Boxing Social. “He’s in camp now, Usyk is. There’s going to be a press conference in Friday in London.’’
Usyk, No. 5 in Boxing Junkie’s latest pound-for-pound poll, had hoped to make a quick run at a heavyweight title. But Anthony Joshua’s mandatory defense against Kubrat Pulev on June 20 and a third Wilder-Fury fight tentatively on July 18 have forced him to wait.
There was some thinking that the former undisputed cruiserweight champion needed a second bout at heavyweight anyway before he jumped into the championship mix. Against Chisora, he’ll get a chance to answer some questions left in the wake of his seventh-round stoppage of Witherspoon in Chicago.
“He looked a little bit uncomfortable when he was getting leaned on and a couple of shots flew in,’’ Hearn said. “He didn’t look comfortable with it. Chisora is going to work him, every single second.’’
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