Oleksandr Usyk’s special brand of dominance is the type that can leave a vacuum. When you’ve beaten the most formidable competitors in your division, who can provide a compelling challenge? That is the question facing Usyk, the unified heavyweight champion. And the answer, perhaps, does not lie in his division – not his current one, anyway.
While many, including The Independent, have urged Usyk to leave boxing with his unbeaten record and perfect legacy intact, it seems he will persist. With his beloved Ukraine still locked in conflict with Russia, the 37-year-old (38 on 17 January) will apparently keep fighting, flying his nation’s flag, and backing himself to win.
And while few should doubt Usyk’s ability or motivation to do just that, such a decision would bring a natural risk. His back-to-back victories over Tyson Fury appear the perfect performances with which to end his historic career, and there is no contender whom fans are demanding Usyk face, but a match-up with a younger, heavier hitter could be the challenge to finally blemish the southpaw’s resume.
That was not the case against Daniel Dubois in 2023, but Usyk is two years older now, and if the Briton can retain the IBF belt against Joseph Parker in February, he may well get his rematch. Yes, Usyk would be backed to overcome Dubois, just as he did via TKO in their first clash, but the 27-year-old is a boxer reborn – and believes he was even denied a stoppage of Usyk when he landed a borderline body shot, which was ruled a low blow.
Overall, though, there is no great appetite for Usyk vs Dubois 2. Stomachs are not growling. Of course, that could change if Dubois vanquishes Parker with the same viciousness that shredded Anthony Joshua in September, but it feels like Usyk and boxing fans need something else now.
A sense of the unknown might be the solution, and one man can bring that. As Usyk eyes his future, it may well reflect his past, if Jai Opetaia is to make a much-anticipated move up from cruiserweight.
There, Opetaia reigns as IBF champion, and he has largely looked untouchable in his 26 professional fights. They have brought 26 wins, 20 knockouts, and they might just bring him to Usyk.
First, the Australian must navigate a title defence against David Nyika on 8 January. Then there is the prospect of unifying two or more of the cruiserweight belts. But Opetaia, 29, has hinted at moving up in weight and has even discussed a potential bout with Usyk.
While ringside for Usyk vs Fury 2, Opetaia – a former sparring partner of Fury – told Talksport: “That’s a fight that I would take, 100 per cent, but I’ve got a job to do [against Nyika]. We are chasing unification fights for the cruiserweight division, so that’s on our mind at the moment. [An Usyk fight] is something further down the track, if it happens. Obviously that’s a fight I could only dream of having, so it would be awesome… Man, you can’t say ‘no’ to those things. We’d sit down with the team, we’d make the decision, but right now it’s all just outside noise.”
Consider this article “outside noise”, then, but also a compliment. If, at this stage in Usyk’s career, the Ukrainian’s severest threat is a younger foe, then what of one without a speed disadvantage? The counter-argument would be: while Usyk’s heavyweight rivals have been somewhat cumbersome, they have also held a power advantage that Opetaia would lack – and even that “advantage” proved ineffective against Usyk. Memorably, his speed, IQ and southpaw entries baffled Anthony Joshua in 2021 and 2022.
In any case, the dynamic between Usyk and Opetaia – a fellow southpaw – would feel fresher at this point than any between the veteran and a heavyweight. It might resemble some of Usyk’s past contests at cruiserweight, but he has not fought that kind of bout in six years.
Usyk capped off his time at cruiserweight with wins over Mairis Briedis, Murat Gassiev and Tony Bellew, as he secured undisputed status – before achieving the same feat at heavyweight. Opetaia is still seeking such trademark results, and a win against WBO champion Gilberto Ramirez would tick that box, admittedly. It was just over six months ago that Opetaia laboured to victory in a rematch with an older Briedis, although he did obliterate Ellis Zorro in late 2023 and bully Jack Massey in October – forcing a throw of the towel.
A statement showing against Nyika would increase the volume of the “outside noise”, regarding Opetaia vs Usyk. Maybe the Australian would still need to dismiss Ramirez for that noise to reach the casual boxing fan, but Opetaia’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, is a specialist in that area.
“The only fight that I see… I love Opetaia against Usyk,” Hearn told iFL TV this week. “I just think it’s such a good style match-up. But Jai’s got to earn his stripes for that fight; he’s got to win next week, then he’s probably got to unify against Ramirez. Then, when he steps up, he’s gonna be able to compete weight-wise. It’s a great fight, but he’s got to continue to build his profile. But I don’t see a lot of fights that genuinely excite me for Usyk. Who else is there for him to beat?”
Maybe Opetaia, but perhaps “beat” is the wrong word. Either way, 2025 may just bring an intriguing heavyweight showdown.
