oleksandr usyk – Page 41 – Syndication Server

Usyk manager: ‘It would be big problem to not box for long time’

Oleksandr Usyk hopes his fight with Dereck Chisora on May 23 will go on as scheduled and lead to a busy end to a chaotic year.

Staying busy, one of boxing reliable formulas, is quickly becoming impossible amid the wave of cancellations forced by the coronavirus pandemic, yet Oleksandr Usyk still has a date he hopes will lead to a busy end to a chaotic year.

May 23 against Dereck Chisora at London’s O2 Arena is still on Usyk’s schedule. How long it will be there is anybody’s guess. Boxing in the United States has gone dark through at least the end of April.

Bouts in early May appear to be tentative. Promoters reportedly have postponed the Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders super middleweight fight, scheduled for May 2, until sometime in June, a month that already includes Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight title defense against Kubrat Pulev on the 20^th, also in London.

If the coronavirus threat subsides, maybe Usyk-Chisora will be the first bout in boxing’s return. Usyk can only hope. And maybe pray.

“Oleksandr wants to be in the ring to get busy,” Usyk manager Egis Klimas told Sky Sports after the Chisora fight was formally announced last week. “It would be a big problem to not box for a long time.”

Usyk hasn’t fought since his heavyweight debut, a stoppage of late stand-in Chazz Witherspoon in October. Injuries, including one to an elbow, have plagued him. The former cruiserweight champion was initially expected to make his second heavyweight appearance on March 28. Yet, he continues to rank as the mandatory challenger to one of the belts held by Joshua (AJ).

“It’s very good when people talk a lot about Tyson Fury and AJ, because every time they talk they mention me as the mandatory challenger,” said Usyk, No. 5 in Boxing Junkie’s latest pound-for-pound poll.

“I don’t really like to guess what’s going to be in the future. My guess is that everything is pre-defined by the Lord, and all we need to do is to wait for our time to come. But if someone tries to cheat us, we will fight for our rights. Someone may just try to cheat us.”

For now, coronavirus is cheating just about everybody. For now, fighting it is the only fight.

A number of the pound-for-pounders have fights scheduled but are waiting to see how the Coronavirus threat plays out.

The Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list isn’t going to change anytime soon if our top stars don’t fight.

A number of them do have fights scheduled. The question at the moment is whether they will actually step into the ring because of the Coronavirus threat.

Many boxing cards worldwide have been postponed or canceled as a result of the pandemic.

Here is a look at our Top 15 and their immediate plans.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

Vasiliy Lomachenko — Tentatively scheduled to face Teofimo Lopez on May 30.
Terence Crawford — Scheduled to fight again on June 13, according to ESPN. His people are targeting the top welterweights but we’ve heard that before.
Canelo Alvarez — We’re waiting for an announcement that he’ll fight Billy Joe Saunders on May 2.
Naoya Inoue — Scheduled to fight John Riel Casimero on April 25 in Las Vegas but the pandemic could change that.
Oleksandr Usyk — Scheduled to fight Dereck Chisora on May 23 in London. As Usyk said, “I really hope that this fight will take place.”
Gennadiy Golovkin — Tentatively scheduled to return on June 6 against Kamil Szeremeta. A more tantalizing possibility is a third fight with Alvarez in September.
Errol Spence Jr. — Has nothing scheduled. Pacquiao has been reported to be a possible opponent.
Tyson Fury — Deontay Wilder has exercised the rematch clause in their contract for their second fight. The question is when.
Juan Francisco Estrada — Could fight Roman Gonzalez or Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, fighters with whom is familiar, but this is in the rumor stage.
Mikey Garcia — Nothing is scheduled. He might be the leading candidate to face Pacquiao late this summer.
Artur Beterbiev — Scheduled to face Meng Fanlong on March 28. Could it take place in an isolated studio?
Josh Taylor — Scheduled to face Apinun Khongsong on May 2 in Scotland.
Manny Pacquiao — Said he’ll be back this summer. The leading candidates are Mikey Garcia and Errol Spence Jr.
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai — Scheduled to face Amnat Ruenroeng on April 4 in Thailand.
Leo Santa Cruz — Reportedly in talks with Gervonta Davis for a fight in June.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Teofimo Lopez, Shawn Porter and Kosei Tanaka

Oleksandr Usyk on Dereck Chisora bout: ‘I hope fight will take place’

Oleksandr Usyk and Dereck Chisora acknowledged the Coronavirus as they kicked off the promotion of their May 23 showdown.

Oleksandr Usyk and Dereck Chisora made it clear at a news conference Friday in London that their May 23 showdown is scheduled to take place in unusual times.

Chisora wore a bandana over his mouth and a plastic suit covering his clothes. Usyk also had his nose and mouth covered at one point. And moments after their obligatory face-to-face stare down and then a friendly selfie – Usyk without a mask at that moment – the cruiserweight-turned-heavyweight whipped out disinfectant and sprayed the area.

Those watching, perhaps amused, had to wonder whether the fight being promoted would actually take place as scheduled. Sporting events worldwide have been canceled because of the pandemic, which has killed more than 5,000 worldwide.

If it happens, it will be one of the most-anticipated fights so far this year and one that will have a tremendous impact on the division.

Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) would be fighting as a heavyweight for the second time, having stopped Chazz Witherspoon in seven rounds in October. He is in the short line to challenge for one of Anthony Joshua’s titles.

Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs) has won three consecutive fights since he was stopped in 11 rounds by Dillian Whyte in December 2018. He’s fighting to remain a viable championship contender.

Usyk was speaking for many people when he said, “I really hope that this fight will take place.”

The 33-year-old Ukrainian, the 2018 Fighter of the Year and former unified 200-pound champion, believes he can also find success against the biggest men in the sport. Usyk, who is 6-foot-3, weighed 215 pounds for the Witherspoon fight.

“As a cruiserweight, I reached the highest heights as undisputed champion and now I am following the same path as a heavyweight,” talkSPORT quoted Usyk as saying. “I expect a real test in Chisora. He is strong, tough and resilient. I recall being an amateur and watching his fight with Vitali Klitschko. It seemed so big and far away.

“Now I am myself taking a fight against Chisora. I am working hard in my training camp to show a spectacular performance on May 23. Dear friends, I will see you soon!”

Chisora, a Zimbabwe-born Londoner who has been a heavyweight his entire career, believes Usyk is in for a rude awakening.

“War is coming,” said Chisora, who is 6-1½ but weighed 260¼ in his last fight. “Usyk reckons he can step up and survive with the big boys. He may be the undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world, but on May 23 he will find out what it feels like to be hit by a real heavyweight.

“He is coming to my backyard. I’m going to remind him exactly why he hid in the cruiserweight division and also get revenge for my boy, Tony Bellew (who lost to Usyk in 2018). This will be war.”

Oleksandr Usyk: ‘I expect a real test in (Dereck) Chisora’

The Oleksandr Usyk-Dereck Chisora heavyweight fight on May 23 in London was formally announced on Wednesday.

It’s a new weight. The second step in a new beginning. But the path looks familiar to Oleksandr Usyk.

Usyk’s pursuit of a heavyweight title resumes on May 23 against Dereck Chisora at London’s O2 Arena in a bout that reminds him of his run to an undisputed reign at cruiserweight.

“As a cruiserweight, I reached the highest heights as undisputed champion, and now I am following the same path as a heavyweight,’’ Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) said Wednesday in a Matchroom Boxing statement formally announcing the bout.

Usyk, the 2018 Fighter of the Year and No. 5 in Boxing Junkie’s latest pound-for-pound poll, is coming off a tentative performance in his heavyweight debut, a seventh-round stoppage in October of Chazz Witherspoon, a late stand-in for the original opponent.

There were questions about whether the 6-foor-3 Usyk was big enough for current generation of heavyweight champions. He was at 215 pounds against Witherspoon, who was at 246. Tyson Fury is 6-9. Anthony Joshua is 6-6. Former champion Deontay Wilder is 6-6.

Against the 6-2 Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs), Usyk will have a one-inch advantage in height, but he fights at 240-plus pounds.

“I expect a real test in Chisora,’’ Usyk said. “He is strong, tough and resilient. I recall being an amateur and watching his fight with (then-heavyweight titlist) Vitali Klitschko (in 2012). It seemed so big and far away. Now, I am myself taking a fight against Chisora. I am working hard in my training camp to show a spectacular performance on May 23.”

In the 36-year-old Chisora, Usyk, 33, faces a heavyweight with word-class experience. He has faced Fury, Vitali Klitschko, Kubrat Pulev, Dillian Whyte and David Haye, now his manager. He lost to them all, too.

“War is coming,” Chisora said. “Usyk reckons he can step up and survive with the big boys. He may be the (former) undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world, but on May 23 he will find out what it feels like to be hit by a real heavyweight. He is coming to my backyard. I’m going to remind him exactly why he hid in the cruiserweight division.’’

Follow Norm Frauenheim on Twitter @FrauenheimNorm

Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev set for June 20 in London: report

Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev have reached a deal to fight on June 20 at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev have reached a deal to fight on June 20 at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, promoter Eddie Hearn told BoxingScene.com.

Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) will be making the first defense of the three titles he regained by outpoining Andy Ruiz Jr. in their rematch on Dec. 7. Ruiz stunned the boxing world when he stopped Joshua in seven rounds to take the belts in June.

Pulev (28-1, 14 KOs) is the mandatory challenger for one of Joshua’s titles. The 38-year-old Bulgarian was scheduled to challenge Joshua in 2017 but had to pull out because of a shoulder injury.

In 2014, Wladimir Klitschko stopped Pulev in five rounds in Pulev’s only world title fight. He has won eight consecutive fights since.

Joshua has another mandatory challenger for a different belt, Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua will likely defend against the former cruiserweight titleholder late this year if Usyk beats Derek Chisora on May 23.

Tyson Fury owns the fourth heavyweight title after stopping Deontay Wilder on Feb. 22.

Pound-for-pound: King Tyson can’t be denied after that performance

Tyson Fury climbs from honorable mention to No. 8 on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list after stopping Deontay Wilder on Saturday.

The pound-for-pound concept was devised as a means of comparing fighters regardless of weight.

For example, not so long ago, we could’ve asked: Who would’ve won a bout between Floyd Mayweather and Wladimir Klitschko had they been the same size? Easy. Mayweather, whose skill set was far superior to that of the big Ukrainian and everyone else.

So where does Tyson Fury fit into the equation after his tremendous performance against Deontay Wilder on Saturday in Las Vegas?

Fury, who has been an honorable mention on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list for some time, dominated a feared, previously unbeaten opponent en route to a spectacular seventh-round stoppage before a sell-out crowd at the MGM Grand.

That kind of performance — on that kind of stage — certainly works in Fury’s favor. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Fury would stack up favorably against the stars that make our Top 10 if they fought in same division.

In the end, we decided after some back-and-forth discussion that we had to elevate Fury into the Top 10 in light of his dominance on Saturday but we didn’t want to get carried away: He jumps to No. 8, behind Errol Spence Jr. but ahead of Juan Francisco Estrada. That pushes Kosei Tanaka (No. 15 on the most-recent list) to honorable mention.

Of course, another victory over Wilder or one over Anthony Joshua in an all-U.K. title-unification bout by Fury could push him even higher.

Check out our pound-for-pound list below. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

Vasiliy Lomachenko
Terence Crawford
Canelo Alvarez
Naoya Inoue
Oleksandr Usyk
Gennadiy Golovkin
Errol Spence Jr.
Tyson Fury
Juan Francisco Estrada
Mikey Garcia
Artur Beterbiev
Josh Taylor
Manny Pacquiao
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Leo Santa Cruz

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Teofimo Lopez, Shawn Porter and Kosei Tanaka

Tyson Fury prepared to face Anthony Joshua if Deontay wilder opts out

Good, bad, worse: Tyson Fury had perfect game plan, perfect execution

Tyson Fury beats the heavyweight title out of Deontay Wilder

Season 3 of WBSS to start in ‘September, October’

The World Boxing Super Series will return for a third season later this fall, according to WBSS organizer Nisse Sauerland.

The third season of the World Boxing Super Series has a working date, but the weight classes are still up in the air.

Nisse Sauerland, who runs the WBSS with his brother Kalle, told FightHubTV at the Caleb Plant-Vincent Feigenbutz post-fight press conference in Nashville that he expects the next installment of the tournament will begin in the last quarter of the year.

“We’re gearing up for season three, which will start September, October time,” Sauerland said.

The season two cruiserweight finals between Yunier Dorticos and Mairis Briedis has been set for March 21 in Riga, Latvia.

Sauerland, however, wouldn’t tip his hand as to which weight classes they would be concentrating on for their next installment.

“Me and my brother have sort of given up calling weights,” Sauerland said. “Because whenever (somebody says), ‘ah, that would be a great weight, middleweights,’ then suddenly loads of things happens and it just doesn’t become possible. It’s just like a dream that doesn’t come true.We’ll start calling that closer to the time. Boxing can change very quickly.”

Sauerland says he expects to finalize which weight classes will be featured in the next season by “May, June time.”

As for the weight classes that he’s most personally keen on, Sauerland cited a few.

“Lightweights would be great. There’s a lot of weight classes I like at the moment,” he said. “Middleweight, super middles again. Lots of interesting weights out there.”

Since its inception in 2017, the WBSS has been heavily lauded for finding a way to get the best fighters to face each other in an otherwise fragmented sport beleaguered by internal politics. Cruiserweight Oleksandr Usyk and super middleweight Callum Smith were anointed as the winners of the first season. Last year, the WBSS crowned Josh Taylor and Naoya Inoue as (partially) unified titleholders in the junior welterweight and bantamweight tournaments, respectively.

Oleksandr Usyk ring return stalled again because of old injury

Oleksandr Usyk’s second fight at heavyweight, against Derek Chisora, has once again been delayed out of concern for an old injury.

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.

Oleksandr Usyk, Derek Chisora close on deal to fight in spring: report

Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Promotions says he is close to completing a deal for Oleksandr Usyk to fight Derek Chisora this spring.

Oleksandr Usyk is looking for a quick path to a title. But it looks as if the former cruiserweight champion will have to test his skills and heavyweight expectations at least one more time before his gets his chance at a belt.

Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Promotions says he is close to completing a deal for Usyk to fight Derek Chisora this spring.

“It’s very close,’’ Hearn told Sky Sports.

Hearn says he hopes to schedule Usyk-Chisora for March 28 at the O2 Arena in London. April 11 in Manchester is another option, he said.

“A brilliant fight,’’ said Hearn, who believes Chisora has re-emerged as a serious contender with David Haye, a former heavyweight and cruiserweight champion, as his manager. “A great team. They believe they can win that fight. They believe they can cause a big upset. They think Usyk can’t handle the big boys.’’

Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) made his heavyweight debut last Oct. 12 in Chicago, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Chazz Witherspoon. But the Ukrainian appeared tentative against the 6-foot-4 Witherspoon. Despite the victory, Usyk’s performance left questions about whether the 6-3 Olympic gold medalist is big enough in a division dominated by 6-9 Tyson Fury, 6-7 Deontay Wilder and 6-6 Anthony Joshua.

Against Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs), he gets another chance. Chisora, listed at 6-2, is an inch shorter than Usyk. But he fights at about 240 pounds. Usyk was at 215 pounds for Witherspoon.

Joseph Parker’s trainer: Fight with Oleksandr Usyk unlikely

Joseph Parker trainer Kevin Barry is less confident that the former titleholder will fight Oleksandr Usyk anytime soon.

The options change almost daily. One day it’s Oleksandr Usyk. The next day it’s not. The dizzying merry-go-round of speculation leaves heavyweight contender Joseph Parker with only one sure thing. He waits.

Parker trainer Kevin Barry is less confident that the former titleholder will fight Usyk anytime soon.

“It’s looking least likely now that fight is going to happen,” Barry told Sky Sports.

Instead, Barry said Parker will look for other possibilities, including a bout with Derek Chisora. Parker, who is training in Las Vegas for a fight Feb. 29 against a still unknown foe on a DAZN card featuring Mikey Garcia vs. Jessie Vargas in Frisco, Texas, appeared to be in line for a title fight against Usyk.

But recent talks between Usyk promoter and Anthony Joshua, Barry said, indicate that Usyk will probably wait for Joshua’s expected mandatory title defense against Kubrat Pulev in the spring. Negotiations are ongoing.

If Joshua wins as expected, Usyk would be next in line for a shot at one of Joshua’s belts, Barry said. Joshua has shown no willingness to relinquish any of his belts. Likewise, there’s been no move from any of the acronyms that they plan to strip him. Instead, there has been talk that Joshua is trying to swing a deal that he’ll fight Deontay Wilder after his rematch with Tyson Fury Feb. 22 on Fox/ESPN+ pay-per-view.

“I honestly believe what we’re going to see is Usyk (wait) and he will fight Joshua in the summer, providing Joshua blows out Pulev, which he should look spectacular doing,’’ Barry said. “I would love nothing more than the opportunity for us to fight Usyk. But the reality of it is, I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

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