Oleksandr Usyk is OPEN to returning to cruiserweight for a one-off clash with Canelo Alvarez despite being almost FOUR STONE heavier than the Mexican superstar
- Oleksandr Usyk says he is open to returning to cruiserweight to fight Canelo
- Usyk, 34, was previously undisputed champion of the division before moving up
- Canelo, 31, has been granted permission to fight for the WBC’s 200lbs title
- The Ukrainian says he will fight Canelo if he can keep his heavyweight belts
Oleksandr Usyk has sensationally revealed that he is open to returning to cruiserweight to take on fellow pound-for-pound superstar Canelo Alvarez.
Usyk, 34, is currently the reigning WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO heavyweight champion, having comprehensively outclassed Anthony Joshua in London earlier this year.
The Ukrainian southpaw moved up to heavyweight from cruiserweight, where he held all four major belts and was recognised as the division’s undisputed champion.
Oleksandr Usyk has revealed that he is open to fighting Canelo Alvarez at cruiserweight
Since moving up to heavyweight, Usyk has relinquished his cruiserweight belts and last month the WBC accepted a request from Canelo to step up from super middleweight and fight for their title at 200 pounds.
Canelo has won world titles at four different weight classes and his move up to cruiserweight has stirred debate among fans and pundits as to how the all-conquering Mexican will fare.
And Usyk has opened the door to dropping back to his former stomping ground in a one-off clash with the 31-year-old.
Canelo, 31, has been granted permission to fight for the WBC’s cruiserweight title next year
Usyk was previously undisputed cruiserweight champion and once owned the WBC belt
‘Yes, I can fight him at cruiserweight,’ he told Boxing Insider. ‘But with only one thing – I keep my belts at heavyweight.
‘Then I go back to cruiserweight and fight him and then I come back to heavyweight.’
Canelo weighed 12 stone for his last fight against Caleb Plant, while Usyk weighed in at 15st 11lbs before his fight with AJ, representing a near four-stone weight difference between the two athletes.
The Ukrainian said he will fight the Mexican so long as he can keep his heavyweight titles
Usyk is expected to fight former champion Anthony Joshua in a rematch early next year
Usyk made the comments in New York, where he watched close friend and compatriot Vasiliy Lomachenko romp to a unanimous points victory over Richard Commey.
The Ukrainian was seen chatting with heavyweight rival Tyson Fury – who shares a promoter with Lomachenko in Bob Arum – as the pair sized each other up ahead of a possible unification bout.
For now, Usyk is set to face Joshua again in early 2022 after the Briton activated his rematch clause following his defeat in September. AJ’s team revealed that he may consider stepping aside for a unification bout if an offer made sense.