Oleksandr Usyk teases shock combat with Jake Paul – but it surely would not happen within the boxing ring!
- Usyk is expected to contest just two more bouts before retiring from boxing
- Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker have been mooted as potential next opponents
- Jake Paul has recently been linked with two titans of the heavyweight division
Oleksandr Usyk has sensationally teased an MMA bout with Youtuber-turned boxer Jake Paul.
The Ukrainian, who defended his WBC, WBO and IBO heavyweight belts after claiming his second victory over Tyson Fury in December, suggested that he will contest two more bouts before retirement.
Another undisputed clash – this time against Daniel Dubois – or a fight against Joseph Parker has been mooted but the 38-year-old has thrown up a surprise contender.
Usyk took to Instagram on Friday to post an image of himself and Paul with the letters ‘MMA’ plastered behind them. Neither have ever fought under MMA rules, but the Ukrainian’s team director Sergey Lapin recently suggested that he was considering new challenges.
‘Usyk has always cared only about fighting the best and creating a lasting legacy in the great sport of boxing,’ Lapin told OLPG. ‘But in the future, as he further solidifies his place as one of the true great fighters, we’ll see what other opportunities open up for him.
‘It might be great to step into the cage with Jake Paul under MMA rules, it would be interesting if there is money to be made from it. Also, we never say never about fighting the dangerous Alex Pereira, possibly partnered with Dana White.’
Oleksandr Usyk has sensationally teased an MMA bout with Youtuber-turned boxer Jake Paul
Paul, who last defeated 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November, has been linked with titans of the heavyweight division
Usyk took to Instagram on Friday to post an image of himself and Paul with the letters ‘MMA’ plastered behind them
Usyk is the second titan of the heavyweight division to be linked with a clash against Paul in recent weeks after Anthony Joshua was goaded out of hiding by the brash 28-year-old.
Joshua has not fought since his devastating knockout defeat by Dubois in September.
Paul claimed the Briton ‘doesn’t have a chin’ and ‘has no skill’. The pair then both posted on social media that they had spoken over the phone, and suggested they could fight in 2026.
Much uncertainty surrounds the near future of the heavyweight division after Dubois’ 11th-hour withdrawal from his fight with Parker last month. The 27-year-old was struck down by illness just two days before the highly-anticipated bout on a stacked card in Riyadh.
This week, his promoter Frank Warren surprisingly suggested that Dubois’ next opponent could be veteran Derek Chisora instead of Usyk.
He told Sky Sports: ‘Chisora is [an IBF mandatory]. He won it in his last fight and everyone knew what the fight was going to be for. He is the mandatory to our man, “Dangerous Dan [Dubois]”, so that’s the position he’s in.’
Chisora turned 41 in December, and has been beaten in two previous world title fights by Vitali Klitschko and Tyson Fury.
He beat former Joshua opponent, Otto Wallin, in February in a fight dubbed ‘The Last Dance’, and he is not expected to fight in the UK again. However, he has stated that he wants to have one more fight, which would be his 50th as a professional.
