Despite having achieved so much, it seems as though Oleksandr Usyk is far from ready to leave combat sports behind.
Usyk has won everything there is to win in boxing. His decorated amateur career ended with a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, and then six years later, he had cleared out the cruiserweight division to become undisputed champion.
Six years on from that, back in May 2024, he did the same in the heavyweight division, beating top opponents such as Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury twice. Next up, he attempts to become a two-time undisputed champion when he rematches IBF title holder Daniel Dubois in July.
After that, it seems he could well fight on, but not in the boxing ring. Sergey Lapin is a member of Usyk’s team and this week told Norske Betting that they will be discussing a fight with Jake Paul in MMA sometime next year.
“The Jake Paul fight is a great show. Imagine the announcement – an undisputed boxing champion stepping into the cage to fight under MMA rules against a guy who’s beaten several MMA fighters in the boxing ring. That would be something fans would love to see.
“We would need to completely restructure our training camp – bring in wrestling and kickboxing experts to master the techniques needed for the cage. But we saw the reaction from Jake Paul’s team – they’re into the idea. Usyk said, ‘Why not? It’s cool – I love challenges.’ He even mentioned he used to wrestle and take part in hand-to-hand combat as a kid.
“It would be a great fight in the cage. But right now, our main focus is the undisputed fight on July 19 in London. After that, we’ll revisit discussions with Jake Paul’s team.”
Paul’s biggest night so far came against 58-year-old Mike Tyson last November when he beat him over eight rounds, and in the past, he has beaten the likes of former MMA fighters Nate Diaz, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva, with his only loss coming to Tommy Fury.
The 28-year-old has himself confirmed the talks with Usyk’s team after long expressing an interest in stepping into the Octagon. He continues his controversial boxing campaign in June when he faces Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
