Get ready, fight fans, because Oleksandr Usyk just made it official: he is absolutely back at cruiserweight, and he is coming for current WBA and WBO unified world champion David Benavidez. This isn’t some rumor, Usyk confirmed it himself ringside in Riyadh, making a move that puts the entire division on blast.
The Heavyweight King Declares He’s ‘Cleaned Out’ the Division
Usyk isn’t just dipping his toes back into the cruiserweight pool, he’s diving headfirst. The man was already an undisputed champion at 200 pounds way back in 2018, clearing out the division with wins over Murat Gassiev, Mairis Briedis, and Tony Bellew. Then, in 2019, he jumped to heavyweight and did it again, becoming undisputed champion there in 2024 by beating Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury, and Anthony Joshua twice each. Talk about a resume! Usyk, flexing his abs for the DAZN broadcast, put it bluntly, saying, “I cleaned heavyweight [out] and am back at my weight.” He’s currently walking around at a lean 96 or 97 kilograms, which is about 211.5 to 213.5 pounds. That’s a huge shift from his heavyweight days, where he weighed in at a career-heaviest 233 pounds for his May knockout win over Rico Verhoeven. This isn’t just a weight class change, it is a statement.
Benavidez’s Rise and The Road to Undisputed
While Usyk was dominating the heavyweight scene, David Benavidez wasn’t just sitting around. He blasted his way into the pound-for-pound conversation with massive success, moving from super middleweight up to cruiserweight. His last bout saw him take down Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez by a sixth-round knockout, a serious win that got everyone talking. Benavidez himself confirmed the buzz, telling Fight Hub that discussions had happened. “We have spoken to Usyk about [him] coming down to cruiserweight,” Benavidez said, adding that “It would be for undisputed [championship status], obviously.” With Benavidez weighing 197 pounds before his “Zurdo” Ramirez fight, Usyk is clearly targeting someone who can meet him at his preferred fighting weight. Usyk even gave props to his potential rival, saying, “At cruiserweight if I have [an] opportunity, I bet, it is a big fight because Benavidez is a big champion. Me, a little bit too.”
The stakes are massive. Before any dream fight with Usyk, Benavidez has a date with destiny on December 5. He’s scheduled to face WBC champion Michal Cieslak in a three-belt unification bout. And here’s the kicker for undisputed status: the IBF championship is still vacant. So, for either Usyk or Benavidez to truly unify everything, they’d need to snag that IBF belt. You can bet the boxing world is watching every single move, because a clash between these two for undisputed glory would be absolutely legendary.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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