Oleksandr Usyk (Photo: Oleksandr Usyk/Instagram)

Former British boxer and boxing commentator Spencer Oliver believes Oleksandr Usyk's potential return to cruiserweight to face unbeaten American champion David Benavidez is motivated by the pursuit of new challenges rather than money, he said on talkSPORT.

Usyk, the former undisputed heavyweight and cruiserweight champion, is considering moving back down to the 200-pound division to face Benavidez, who holds the WBA and WBO world titles.

"I don't think it's about money. I think he's looking for new challenges and goals. He wants to test himself," Oliver said.

"He's already cleaned out the heavyweight division. Who else is there for him to beat? There's someone like Deontay Wilder, but he's no longer the force he once was."

Oliver believes defeating Benavidez would give the Ukrainian another major achievement to pursue at this stage of his career.

"If Usyk drops back down to cruiserweight and beats David Benavidez, who I believe is one of the three best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, that would be an incredible achievement," Oliver said.

"And we don't even know how high his ceiling is."

The British commentator also cautioned against judging Usyk's decline based on his most recent fight against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven.

Oliver pointed out that Usyk had stopped Daniel Dubois in five rounds in his previous appearance, prompting widespread praise for his continued improvement despite his age.

He believes a victory over Benavidez could further strengthen Usyk's place among boxing's all-time greats.

"If he does that, doesn't it cement his status as one of the greatest fighters of all time? That's what the challenge is all about," Oliver said.

Benavidez is scheduled to return to the ring on Dec. 5 against Poland's Michal Cieslak, the WBC cruiserweight champion, at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, near Phoenix.

The bout will be a three-belt unification fight, with Benavidez defending his WBA and WBO titles.

Usyk last fought on May 23 against Verhoeven in Giza, Egypt. The Ukrainian won by technical knockout with one second remaining in the 11th round, retaining his WBC heavyweight title.

On June 26, Usyk relinquished his remaining heavyweight championship belts, including the IBF, WBC and WBA titles.

Usyk's team has since outlined plans for him to return to cruiserweight in 2027, potentially challenging for the vacant IBF belt before pursuing a unification fight with Benavidez.

Benavidez has also expressed confidence that he could defeat Usyk if the two meet in the ring.

No Usyk-Benavidez fight has been formally announced.