Oleksandr Usyk has teased a potential mixed martial arts bout with Jake Paul, as boxing’s unified heavyweight champion eyes the final fights of his career.
Usyk recently said he will compete two more times before retiring, suggesting his ideal match-ups would come against Daniel Dubois and Alex Pereira.
Dubois is the reigning IBF champion, having gained that status after Usyk vacated the belt last spring, while Pereira held the UFC light-heavyweight title until recently.
It was believed that Usyk, 38, wanted to box Pereira rather than face him under MMA rules, but the Ukrainian has now teased such a contest with Paul.
Usyk posted an Instagram story sharing a post from Ready To Fight, which showed a mock-up poster of Usyk and Paul. The former Olympic champion also tagged Paul.
Ready To Fight wrote: “@usykaa in the MMA Cage?! @usykaa[’s] team just teased a wild idea: ‘It might be great to step into the cage with @jakepaul.’
“Wait… did someone say USYK VS JAKE PAUL… MMA rules? Yes. Usyk[’s] Team did. Undisputed heavyweight champ. And yes… MMA rules. Could this actually happen? Who would win?”
YouTube star Paul has gone 11-1 as a professional boxer, most recently outpointing heavyweight legend Mike Tyson in November, and he has long been in line for an MMA debut. In early 2023, the American became a business partner of the Professional Fighters League, an MMA promotion, with a view to competing in the cage.
However, that MMA debut has been pushed back as Paul, 28, has continued to box. One month after signing with the PFL, Paul boxed Tommy Fury, losing to the half-brother of Tyson Fury on points. He has since bounced back with five straight wins, however, including his victory over Mike Tyson.
Meanwhile, Usyk – a former undisputed cruiserweight champion – became the first undisputed heavyweight title holder in 24 years last May, when he outpointed Fury. Usyk replicated the result in December, retaining the unified belts after he had vacated the IBF strap.
While Usyk has been linked to IBF champion Dubois, whom he stopped in 2023, the Ukrainian has been ordered to defend his titles against Joseph Parker. Furthermore, Dubois’s mandatory challenger is Derek Chisora, according to Dubois’s promoter Frank Warren.
