Boxer Oleksandr Usyk dropped his retirement plans and scheduled a return to the cruiserweight division for two final bouts in 2027. The undefeated 39-year-old Ukrainian previously intended to compete in just one farewell match before ending his career.
Team director Sergey Lapin confirmed the fighter plans a final push in the division where he first achieved global success. Lapin stated that Usyk will initially challenge for a vacant world title before targeting David Benavidez to unify every belt and retire as undisputed champion.
Benavidez, aged 29, mentioned that discussions already occurred regarding a potential matchup at cruiserweight. Benavidez currently holds the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles ahead of a December 5 unification match against WBC champion Michal Cieslak.
Lapin explained that the two-fight schedule will close out a legendary career. Lapin noted that Usyk never functioned as a natural heavyweight, calling cruiserweight his home.
Upcoming Boxing Schedule
A busy schedule of matches approaches in the ring.
October
- Sat 31 - Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbili - DAZN
November
- Sat 7 - Joshua Buatsi vs Willy Hutchinson 2 - DAZN
- Sat 7 - Chris Billam-Smith vs Cheavon Clarke - Sky Sports
- Sat 28 - Agit Kabayel vs Nelson Hysa - DAZN
December
- Fri 11 - Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua - Netflix
- Sat 12 - Dmitry Bivol vs Callum Smith - DAZN
- Sat 19 - Anthony Cacace vs Nick Ball - DAZN
Usyk previously captured the undisputed cruiserweight championship in 2018 by defeating Murat Gassiev in Moscow to claim all four major world titles. He moved up to heavyweight in 2019 and defeated Anthony Joshua two years later to become a two-weight world champion.
The Olympic gold medallist defeated Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia in 2024 to secure the status of first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era. He repeated the feat in July 2025 by knocking out Daniel Dubois at Wembley to secure a second undisputed heavyweight reign.
