Oleksandr Usyk seems determined to completely break boxing statistics and common sense at the same time. Because while most champions at 39 are thinking about fishing, golf, or at least giving calm TV interviews, the Ukrainian is planning… to become an undisputed world champion for the fourth time.
And no, this is not a joke.
As Suspilne Sport reports, the Ukrainian boxer said he wants to win a fourth undisputed championship status already in 2026. Usyk spoke about it during a DAZN broadcast ahead of his fight against kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven.
The fight itself sounds like something imagined by a screenwriter who binge-watched both “Gladiator” and Netflix sports documentaries at the same time. The bout will take place on May 23 in Egypt — right in front of the Giza pyramids. And honestly, for Usyk, it feels like the perfect backdrop. Because his career давно resembles less of a sports journey and more of some strange ancient epic.
During the broadcast, Usyk literally laid out his collection of undisputed titles year by year. 2018 — first undisputed title at cruiserweight. 2024 in Saudi Arabia — second. 2025 in London — third. And now he wants another one in 2026.
On paper, it sounds beautiful. But the reality of heavyweight boxing right now looks like Kyiv’s ring road on a Friday evening — crowded with contenders, belts, and legal complications.
At the moment, Usyk holds the IBF, WBA, WBC, and The Ring titles. To regain undisputed status, he still needs the WBO belt, which currently belongs to Daniel Dubois.
To collect all the belts again, Usyk will likely have to fight Dubois for a third time. The Ukrainian already defeated the Briton twice before, but boxing is a sport where rematches appear faster than new TV series seasons.
The problem is that the line for title fights is now longer than a politician’s list of excuses. Fabio Wardley has already activated his rematch clause against Dubois. In addition, Moses Itauma is the mandatory WBO challenger. And Usyk also needs to defend his WBC belt against interim champion Agit Kabayel, otherwise he risks losing the title without even fighting.
So Usyk’s road toward a fourth undisputed crown looks something like trying to beat a video game on maximum difficulty. But the problem is that over the past few years, the Ukrainian has become so used to breaking predictions and logic that writing him off now feels about as smart as stepping into the ring against him thinking: “What’s he gonna do to me?”
