Oleksandr Usyk responds to Canelo Alvarez’s call for heavyweight showdown

Alvarez told Eddie Hearn that he is willing to step up to heavyweight to face world champion Usyk who himself faces a rematch with Anthony Joshua

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Oleksandr Usyk is willing to drop back down to cruiserweight to fight Canelo Alvarez after the Mexican insisted he would jump up to heavyweight to take on his fellow world champion.

Alvarez has won world titles in four weight divisions while Usyk is the former undisputed cruiserweight world champion and current unified heavyweight ruler. The Ukrainian will defend his belts in his rematch with Anthony Joshua in July while Alvarez takes on light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol this weekend.

Alvarez, who has never fought about 175lb, claims he is willing to fight Usyk if a catchweight of 201lb, one pound above the cruiserweight limit, is agreed. In response, Usyk’s manager said his charge would be willing to come back down to 200lb.

Usyk’s last outing at cruiserweight was three-and-a-half years ago when he stopped Tony Bellew in the eighth round in Manchester. But manager Egis Kilmas wrote on social media: “Be our guest, Usyk will make cruiserweight for this one, but let Canelo concentrate on Bivol for now.”

Alvarez’s promoter Eddie Hearn revealed the Mexican legend’s heavyweight ambitions when he told JOE: “When we talk about mindset and winning, he genuinely believes he can beat Oleksandr Usyk for the world heavyweight title. He said to me ‘if you can make that fight at one pound above cruiserweight I will beat him’.

“I find it hard not to believe him. Sometimes, the only way someone like Canelo Alvarez or Vasyl Lomachenko gets beat is when they keep moving up in weight outside of where they should be. That’s maybe how Canelo Alvarez gets beat, (when) it’s a challenge too far.”

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Alvarez must first overcome Bivol and then his bitter rival Gennady Golovkin with the final instalment of their trilogy pencilled in for September. Usyk’s sequel with Joshua is expected to take place on July 23 with Saudi Arabia the frontrunner to play host.

Last September, Usyk outpointed the Brit to become a two-weight world champion and condemn Joshua to his second defeat in four fights. Should he double up against Joshua, Usyk would also have the opportunity to take on Tyson Fury in an undisputed fight, if Fury reneges on his decision to retire.

The Traveller insists his win over Dillian Whyte last month was his final outing as a professional and will hold talks with the WBC in the coming weeks to establish whether he intends to give up the title he won from Deontay Wilder in 2020.