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Usyk vs Fury 2: Oleksandr Usyk rules out retirement if he defeats Tyson Fury in rematch

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury rematch for the world heavyweight championship this Saturday; Fury wants an "epic trilogy" but Usyk has other plans; the Usyk vs Fury 2 Riyadh Season event will be live on Sky Sports Box Office with a variety of ways to book

John Dennen

Sports journalist

Monday 16 December 2024 15:29, UK

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As Sky Sports builds up to a massive night of Boxing with Fury v Usyk 2 on Saturday night- Andy Scott catches up with the heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk who suggests he would consider a return to cruiserweight if he beats Fury again

Oleksandr Usyk has confirmed that he plans to make a sensational return to the cruiserweight division if he defeats Tyson Fury again in this weekend's heavyweight rematch.

Usyk defeated Fury to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in May.

Having already achieved that feat cruiserweight that result made Usyk a two-time, two-weight undisputed champion.

The Ukrainian has already shed one of his heavyweight titles, the IBF, to take this Saturday's rematch with Fury, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

If he is victorious, he does intend to target a third undisputed world championship, but plans to pursue that back at cruiserweight.

"I win again a second fight," Usyk told Sky Sports News, "I'll try cruiserweight again. I'll try."

He is though confident that he can pick up where he left off in the first fight with Fury and win the rematch.

"I feel good," Usyk said. "It continues, the 13th round because I feel like this."

He had hurt Fury badly in the ninth round of their first fight. Usyk could do so again, but warned: "Tyson Fury too had a chance in the sixth round, maybe the seventh round, maybe 12th, 11th, first, second. But Tyson did not do it.

"It's just talk. Tyson said I had the chance. Yeah, no problem. We have a second fight, I'll try."

Fury however hopes to avenge the first defeat of his professional career when he fights Usyk on Saturday and then set up a third clash.

"I want the third fight. I want the trilogy," Fury said in three-person call with both Usyk and the backer of the Riyadh Season event Turki Alalshikh. "When I beat him on the 21st there'll be a third fight, 100 per cent. There has to be a trilogy.