Oleksandr Usyk and Artur Beterbiev hope to continue their ongoing rivalry in a potential world heavyweight title showdown.
The rivals, who met twice during the amateurs, remain on course for a massive collision once Beterbiev moves up in weight.
When it happens, the animosity between the Ukrainian and Russian Canadian would be fireworks.
Usyk vs Beterbiev
There aren’t many more words to describe unified light heavyweight ruler Beterbiev and two-weight king Usyk. Fans and media alike are running out of superlatives for both men.
When they eventually fight again, the event could be one of the biggest ever seen between two fighters with Eastern European heritage.
“The Beast from the East” – Beterbiev is 18-0. Every one of his wins came by way of a big knockout. His impressive professional career follows an amateur career paved with gold.
Beterbiev won medals at light heavyweight during his career. However, one man always stood in his way at the heavyweight limit. That man was Usyk.
On two occasions, the Ukrainian eliminated Beterbiev from tournaments when the Russian gained weight. Beterbiev finally decided to give up on his Olympic dream after London 2012.
Usyk claimed heavyweight gold and embarked on a professional career in the same year as Beterbiev.
Both won more than one title at the chosen weights of 175 and 200 pounds. But a heavyweight reunion is firmly in his future after Usyk claimed the division’s top prize.
Combined with the greats, Usyk has proven himself with two wins over Anthony Joshua.
cruiserweight and heavyweight
At the same time, Beterbiev has a clear run at 200+ pounds after proving dominant at 175. The 37-year-old will soon be a cruiserweight world title challenger in the next twelve months.
Usyk’s former weight is pretty light from big names. So Beterbiev could win a 200-pound belt and be gone after a win.
Lawrence Okolie and Ilunga Makabu would be realistic wins for Beterbiev. But mostly, none of the cruiserweight contenders are seen as much of a threat to Beterbiev.
When he goes up, that devastating power will go with him. Once a two-weight king, Beterbiev is not expected to stick around.
Beterbiev should have no problem choosing a recognized strap. By the time he hits 39, he should be a full-fledged heavyweight.
A challenge against Usyk with both of them undefeated would be one of the biggest events boxing could do. It has the potential to be the biggest amateur-professional rivalry in years.
no chimera
Nor is it a chimera. WBN understands that Usyk is one of Beterbiev’s main career targets. He wants revenge for the fans.
You can add that Beterbiev has already stopped Usyk’s friend Oleksandr Gvozdyk for another angle.
Whatever weight he competes at, Beterbiev has the power to burn. He will be wild at heavyweight and the perfect foil for a skilled fighter like Usyk.
The next few years will see the winds blow in another direction from the current days of Tyson Fury, Andy Ruiz Jr and Deontay Wilder.
Usyk vs Beterbiev could turn out to be the most attractive ticket.
The views expressed in this article are the views of Phil Jay.
WBN editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. He follows WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
