Former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is planning to enforce his mandatory fight with IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Usyk in the mandatory challenger under the World Boxing Organization.
Joshua is scheduled to make a mandatory defense against the IBF’s top man, Kubrat Pulev, on a tentative date of December 12.
Should Joshua win, he wants to face WBC champion Tyson Fury in a full division unification clash.
But Usyk, should he beat Derek Chisora in the fall, will have something to say about that.
“Usyk has been the WBO mandatory challenger for more than one year,” his co-promoter Alexander Krassyuk, who works alongside Eddie Hearn, told Sky Sports.
“He has agreed to let AJ versus Pulev happen, with regards that the winner fights him next. This statement is still solid. Our plan is A) beat Derek Chisora B) push AJ to comply with WBO rules or vacate the title C) defeat AJ (or any other WBO champion or contender and become the heavyweight champion. Simple and practical.”
Joshua and Usyk were both gold medal winners at the London Olympics in 2012.
Usyk has not been very active due to injuries and the coronavirus pandemic.
He fought once in 2019, when he made his heavyweight debut with a stoppage win over late replacement Chazz Witherspoon.
Usyk has yet to fight in 2020, and his fight with Chisora is being targeted for a date in October.
“According to our latest talks with Eddie, Usyk vs Chisora has to go at the end of October,” Krassyuk said. “Still much depends on COVID-19 restrictions but we all want to make it happen.”