Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk wants to fight UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in his final fight.
“I’ll fight whoever wins. Joseph Parker, Daniel Dubois, no problem,” Usyk told Sky Sports last week. “I think I have about a year and a half, two years left in boxing, with two more top fights. Just two, no more.”
In a separate interview with TNT Sports later, the Ukrainian considered Pereira a potential final opponent. “After Dubois or Parker, maybe an exhibition fight with Pereira. Maybe. Why not? Pereira would like it too,” Usyk said.
Pereira is the reigning light heavyweight champion and former UFC middleweight champion. He is only the ninth fighter in UFC history to have won two weight classes, and the first to win belts in both middleweight and light heavyweight.
In 2024, Pereira defeated Jamahal Hill, Jir Prochazka and Khalil Rountree Jr. to defend his light heavyweight title, setting a record for the fastest three-fight defense. The 37-year-old is expected to defend his belt against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 next month.
The biggest issue preventing Pereira from boxing against Usyk is the UFC’s agreement. In history, the UFC has only allowed one fighter under contract to box, Conor McGregor against Floyd Mayweather in 2017. This is the highest-grossing sporting event in history with over $600 million. The fight also set a pay-per-view record, with over 4.3 million buys in the US, the second-largest buy of all time.
Oleksandr Usyk celebrates after defeating Tyson Fury to become the undisputed heavyweight champion at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 19, 2024.
Usyk is currently the number one heavyweight boxer. In May 2024, the 37-year-old boxer defeated Tyson Fury on points to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era – WBA, IBF, WBC and WBO. Lennox Lewis was the last boxer to achieve this feat when he defeated Evander Holyfield and unified the three belts WBA, IBF, WBC in 1999.
From 1963 to 1983, the criteria for recognizing an undisputed champion in boxing was to win the WBA and WBC belts. From 1983 to 2007, this title required the IBF belt. Since 2007, an undisputed champion must have all four belts: WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO.
Usyk was later stripped of the IBF belt – now held by Daniel Dubois – so he will only defend the WBA, WBC and WBO belts against Fury. In the rematch in Saudi Arabia at the end of 2024, the Ukrainian boxer continued to win the judges’ points to defend the title.
Usyk is expected to meet the winner of the IBF title fight between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker this weekend. “My team has made a prediction. 52% for Dubois, 48% for Parker,” Usyk predicted, and declared that he is ready to fight the winner.
Dubois lost to Usyk by knockout in the ninth round of their fight in Poland in August 2023. Since then, the British boxer has regained his form, defeating Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua.