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Usyk eyes 'final chapter' at cruiserweight against Benavidez

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Former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is eyeing a return to cruiserweight to fight David Benavidez before retiring from boxing, says his adviser.

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This story was published by BBC Sport on October 31, 2026 and curated on Africa Front.

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African Technology, Trade & AfCFTA, Infrastructure

October 31, 2026

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Usyk eyes 'final chapter' at cruiserweight against Benavidez

Published1 hour ago

Heavyweight superstar Oleksandr Usyk is eyeing a return to cruiserweight to fight David Benavidez before retiring from boxing, says his adviser Sergey Lapin.

The 39-year-old former undisputed heavyweight champion last fought in May, when he earned a gritty win over Rico Verhoeven before vacating his titles.

Usyk said he wanted a "last dance" in boxing, which was expected to be at heavyweight, but Lapin says the Ukrainian is instead planning to move down a division.

He says Usyk wants to fight for a vacant cruiserweight world title before setting up a unification bout against undefeated American Benavidez.

"Oleksandr aims to return to cruiserweight in 2027 and become undisputed again," Lapin said.

"First, we are looking at a fight for a vacant world title. Then, the goal is to face David Benavidez to unify all the belts and become undisputed cruiserweight champion.

"We see 2027 as the final chapter of his career. He wants to finish as undisputed champion in the division where he first won all the belts."

Usyk dominated at cruiserweight for the majority of his career, winning 16 fights and becoming the undisputed champion, before moving to heavyweight in 2019.

There he became a two-time undisputed champion, beating Britons Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois twice each to stretch his undefeated record to 25 fights.

Benavidez, 29, has won all 32 of his professional fights. He holds the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles and will fight Poland's Michal Cieslak for the WBC belt on 5 December.

The IBF belt is vacant after Jai Opetaia was stripped of it in March.