Oleksandr Usyk may want to think about trying to get on the good side of the boxing gods: Pour out some libations, sacrifice a lamb, say a prayer, something.
The former unified cruiserweight champion has had his share of bad luck since he moved up to the heavyweight ranks. A right biceps injury ruined his debut, delaying it for 11 months before he eventually returned to stop Chazz Witherspoon in seven rounds last October. Now, in his sophomore attempt at heavyweight, reportedly against British contender Derek Chisora, the Ukrainian finds himself facing yet another setback.
Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) requested a six-to-eight-week postponement of his bout against Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs) to allow for the proper rehabilitation of an old injury to his left below, according to BoxingScene. Usyk had sustained it ahead of his match against Murat Gassiev in the 2018 World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight final.
This means that his bout against Chisora, originally penciled in for March 28 on a card headlined by a potential heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev, will have to wait.
“We expect him fighting in May versus Chisora,” Usyk co-promoter Alex Krassyuk told BoxingScene.
Krassyuk also clarified that Usyk did not sustain another injury, as has been reported by several outlets; the delay is a precautionary measure.
“Usyk is not injured,” Krassyuk said. “He is 33 and as the professional sportsman has some issues about his body. Normally he does his recovery routine once a year. This year, his doctor emphasized some rehab measures on his elbow and [the full recovery] took a bit [longer] than usual.”
Usyk was originally in the running to face Joshua as one of his mandatories, but the nod went to Pulev under the condition that Usyk is guaranteed an opportunity to face the winner.