Boxing

Oleksandr Usyk Open To Fighting Alex Pereira But Eyeing Another Opponent First

Oleksandr Usyk has revealed who he wants to fight before Alex Pereira.

Apratim Banerjee

IMAGO / PA Images

Oleksandr Usyk and Alex Pereira have both expressed interest in fighting each other in boxing. In 2024, Usyk fought Tyson Fury twice and won on both occasions.

Pereira, meanwhile, has been on a meteoric rise in the UFC. However, the Brazilian recently suffered a devastating setback, losing to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313.

Both fighters have expressed interesting in facing each other in the boxing ring, however Usyk has another fighter in mind that he wants to take on first.

Usyk faced Daniel Dubois in a 2023 fight and won via KO, thoughthe fight was marred in controversy. He first wants a rematch with Dubois before facing Pereira.

Speaking to Al Arabiya, Usyk said:

We want to fight Dubois. My team is ready. A lot depends on how God will give us a way to do it and the second person who can do it is His Excellency, Turki Alalshikh, because he is the person who can organise this fight. I think there would be obstacles otherwise. The only person who can organise it is His Excellency and the Riyadh season.

On fighting in Saudi Arabia, he added:

You know, I always fought on the land of my opponents. At present, Saudi Arabia has created the best environment, and organised these fights, so it has become like my second home. When I box in Saudi Arabia, it feels like our second home – great people, great fans. We can go to look around and meet with people. Currently, we cannot host fights in Ukraine, but we can have them in Saudi Arabia – they are very kind to us.

It's worth noting that both of Usyk's fights against Fury took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Oleksandr Usyk even joked about fighting Alex Pereira inside the cage. However, he wants to take on Daniel Dubois before focusing on a showdown against the UFC superstar. He said:

Yes, I would be interested [in a Pereira fight], but only after the fight with Daniel to merge our belts. I even considered the option of fighting in a cage. It is a joke, but every joke contains an element of truth.

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is an experienced sports journalist and has covered Football, Boxing, MMA, and more for the past five years. He has worked for Sports Illustrated, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and other publications. Apratim is currently pursuing an MSc. in Sport Marketing at Loughborough University London.