Zuffa Boxing will stage its debut event this Friday featuring a bunch of fighters you never heard of and don’t care about. But critics of Dana White’s “lame” attempt to invade the “sweet science” may find themselves with nothing to say if the UFC CEO can land some of the biggest names in boxing.
Like undefeated heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist, Oleksandr Usyk.
“There is contact, there is dialogue, and interest exists,” Team Usyk director, Sergey Lapin, told talkSPORT. “Details aren’t
for the public right now. Let’s say a few doors are open and if format, numbers, and timing align, the market could see a move nobody expects. Everyone has seen what [White] did. He turned old MMA into a global UFC machine. His real power is packaging not just a fight, but an event. If he gets involved, the scale and attention immediately become different.”
Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) has not competed since his fifth-round destruction of Daniel Dubois last summer in London. There were rumors of a potential showdown opposite Deontay Wilder, but it appears the “Bronze Bomber” will instead throw hands with Derek Chisora across the pond in April.
“We’re moving calmly and professionally,” Lapin added. “When everything is agreed, it will be announced officially. We are only considering the biggest and most logical options, fights that truly create an event, not just another name. There are several top heavyweights in the conversation, but the shortlist changes depending on belts, timing, dates, and broadcast structures. Our position is simple: if it’s a fight, it has to be a big one.”
