Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is preparing for what could be his toughest test yet when he faces Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight titles, and he has answered whether he needs to face Fury in order to cement his boxing legacy.
Entering the professional ranks as an Olympic gold medallist, Usyk has more than lived up to the high expectations that were asked of him.
He became undisputed cruiserweight champion and just the third fighter to hold belts at 200lbs and at heavyweight, defeating a worthy champion in Anthony Joshua to join the elite club.
The 37-year-old now aims to defeat Fury and become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000, when the two men meet in Saudi Arabia on May 18th.
Usyk and Fury were initially scheduled to clash on February 17th, before ‘The Gypsy King’ suffered a cut leading to the postponement of the highly-anticipated fight.
The new date is now set, and in an exclusive interview with Boxing Social in association with Ready To Fight, Usyk has broken down the upcoming battle, and answered whether facing Fury is what he needs in order to go down as an all-time great.
“I will definitely fight on May 18, and my training will not be in vain. But I am very happy that Tyson is recovering quickly from his injury and is already back in training. I have to fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
“It is not important who will be the opponent. It just so happened that Tyson Fury is standing on my way to the undisputed championship. But if Tyson doesn’t want to fight and decides to give up his belt, I will gladly fight for it with whoever the WBC chooses as a challenger.”
It isn’t just in the ring where Usyk is succeeding, as he is also involved with the Ready To Fight app alongside his team director Sergey Lapin, and the pound-for-pound star is excited to see what the platform is capable of.
“Talking about the legacy, I would also like Ready To Fight to be a part of it. It’s a boxing social platform we’re developing with my team.
“Its objective is to facilitate communication and collaboration for boxers with sparring partners, managers and fans. We believe such a digital tool could break financial and geographic barriers for young, talented athletes from all over the world.”
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