Usyk Willing To Drop Class For The Sake Of Ladeni Canelo But There Are Conditions

Oleksandr Usyk (Instagram @usykaa)

JAKARTA - Oleksandr Usyk is willing to go down to cruiserweight (90.7 kg) to fight Saul "Canelo" Alvarez but he conditions that the heavyweight title (+90.7 kg) remains in his grasp.

"Canelo is a handsome man. If he wants to box with me at cruiserweight, then I can go down there. But on condition that I still have the heavyweight belt because I will defend it again," Usyk said.

Usyk is a former undisputed world champion in cruiserweight by collecting four major titles namely, WBA Super, WBC, IBF and WBO.

He vacated all those titles in 2019 or when he decided to move up to the heavy division. The decision to go up to the highest class in the sport of boxing paid off.

Usyk successfully won the WBA Super, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight world titles from Anthony Joshua at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Tottenham, September 25, 2021.

Meanwhile, Canelo is interested in moving up to the cruiser division after making sure to become the undisputed world champion in the super middleweight (76.2 kg) by defeating Caleb Plant at the MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, November 6, 2021.

The Mexican boxer's desire to move up the division got the green light from the WBC. Canelo's plan to move up to cruiserweight is to challenge WBC title holder Ilunga Makabu.

Now Usyk's name appears and has the potential to be Canelo's opponent. If Canelo fights Usyk at cruiserweight, he won't get the title. But Canelo's name will stick out more because Usyk is a boxer who has a name compared to Makabu.

There is no certainty regarding Canelo's plans to move up to the cruiser division. On the other hand, Usyk will also have a rematch against Anthony Joshua which is scheduled to occur in the first quarter of 2022.