The former two-time undisputed heavyweight champion looks set to move back down to cruiserweight next year and already has his eyes set on one man

Oleksandr Usyk has expressed his desire to drop back down to cruiserweight after 'cleaning out' the heavyweight division.

The two-time undisputed heavyweight champion has enjoyed an illustrious run in the blue-riband division since making the move up seven years ago. Usyk, 39, holds multiple wins over Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois.

He has not fought since his controversial stoppage win over kickboxing icon Rico Verhoeven back in May over in Egypt. But as he enters the twilight stages of his career, the 39-year-old is targeting one last crack at former weight class. The Ukrainian recently revealed he currently weighs 212lb and has already started cutting weight.

Usyk had been initially tipped to face ex-heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder next, but has now set his sights on 29-year-old undefeated sensation David Benavidez. On Saturday night, the boxing star explained his decision to return to his natural weight class and take on the unified champion.

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He said: “I cleaned out heavyweight and now I’ll go back to my weight. Now [I weigh] 96/97kg. Today there is change at heavyweight, if I have an opportunity at cruiserweight, I’m back. It’s a big fight because Benavidez is a big champion. When I have an opportunity, I take this opportunity. This is life.”

The news comes just days after Usyk's team director Sergey Lapin revealed that the plan is for the Ukrainian is to fight for a vacant world title before facing WBA and WBO titleholder Benavidez and becoming an undisputed king at 200lb for a second time. "Oleksandr aims to return to cruiserweight in 2027 and become undisputed again," Usyk team director Sergey Lapin told Casinostugan.

"First, we are looking at a fight for a vacant world title. Then, the goal is to face David Benavidez to unify all the belts and become undisputed cruiserweight champion.

"We see 2027 as the final chapter of his career. He wants to finish as undisputed champion in the division where he first won all the belts. If we’re going to do this, we need to take a comprehensive approach. The first fight for a world title, the second for the undisputed championship.

"Usyk has never been a natural heavyweight. Cruiserweight is his home. He loves a challenge, so he moved up, cleaned out the heavyweight division, and now he is coming home to restore order."