Oleksandr Usyk’s next test at heavyweight could be Dereck Chisora.
Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that negotiations were underway for that matchup today after the weigh-in for the Radzhab Butaev vs. Alexander Besputin card that will take place this Saturday in Monte Carlo.
Hearn said he is trying to pin Usyk-Chisora for February.
“I was just backstage talking to Usyk trying to get the Chisora fight over the line for February,” Hearn said. “That’s a big fight. That’s a big heavyweight fight. Usyk’s now established as a big star in the weight division.”
After some delay due to a biceps injury, Usyk, the former unified cruiserweight world champion, made his heavyweight debut in October with a seventh round stoppage of Chazz Witherspoon at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Hearn said Usyk appears to have bulked up since the fight.
“Will that slow that down, will that increase his power? What we saw against Witherspoon was that the size was an issue,” Hearn said. “He got a couple (punches) on the arm, a mouse under the eye, where all of a sudden he’s thinking, this is a different game. When you get hit by (Deontay) Wilder or (Anthony Joshua) AJ or any of those guys… but does he have the skill or speed to counter that?
Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs) is coming off a stoppage win over David Price in October. He is riding a three-fight win streak since getting knocked out by Dillian Whyte in 2018.
“Against Chisora I think it’s such as an interesting fight,” Hearn said. “We know that Usyk is going to pick off Chisora but he’s a right handful. He’s a big lump and he can punch. And you’re gonna get a lot of answers in that fight, in my opinion.”