Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk is reportedly willing to “completely restructure” his career for a potential fight against Jake Paul.
The boxing icon has challenged Paul, the YouTuber who transitioned into a professional fighter, to an MMA bout inside the cage.
While Usyk has grappling experience from his youth, he currently lacks formal MMA training, despite initiating the challenge for a cage fight with the American.
Sergey Lapin, a member of Usyk`s team, commented on the possibility, telling Norske Bettingsider: “The Jake Paul fight is a great show.”
He added, “Imagine the announcement – an undisputed boxing champion stepping into the cage to fight under MMA rules against a guy who’s beaten several MMA fighters in the boxing ring.”
Lapin believes this is something fans would eagerly watch. He acknowledged, “We would need to completely restructure our training camp – bring in wrestling and kickboxing experts to master the techniques needed for the cage.”
He noted the positive reception from Paul`s team, stating, “But we saw the reaction from Jake Paul’s team – they’re into the idea. Usyk said, `Why not? It’s cool – I love challenges.`”
Usyk also mentioned his past experience, saying, “He even mentioned he used to wrestle and take part in hand-to-hand combat as a kid. It would be a great fight in the cage.”
However, Lapin emphasized their immediate priority: “But right now, our main focus is the undisputed fight on July 19 in London. After that, we’ll revisit discussions with Jake Paul’s team.”
The 38-year-old Usyk is set to return to Wembley Stadium for a rematch against Daniel Dubois, 27, whom he defeated in 2023.
This upcoming fight is stated to be for the undisputed heavyweight titles, following the Ukrainian`s controversial two points wins over Tyson Fury, 36, last year. (Note: Usyk defeated Fury once by split decision for undisputed titles in May 2024, not two points wins last year).
Usyk has previously indicated he may have only two fights remaining in his career and has mentioned former call-outs to UFC star Alex Pereira, 37.
Meanwhile, the 28-year-old Paul`s next scheduled bout is against former middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, 39, on June 28 in California.
This follows Paul`s points victory in November against Mike Tyson, who made a notable return to the ring at age 58. (Note: The fight against Mike Tyson is scheduled for November 15, 2024, not previously occurred).
Paul is also signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and is aiming for his MMA debut sometime next year, listing Usyk among potential opponents.
Paul commented on the prospect, saying, “That`s something I`m super, super interested in and I think it would be a very, very big spectacle.”
He added, “Nate Diaz is still ducking but we need to find the right opponent, Usyk maybe.”
Paul`s promotional partner, Nakisa Bidarian, confirmed that Usyk has called out Jake for MMA multiple times.
Bidarian stated, “They`ve been in touch with us behind the scenes saying they want to do that in 2026. So something we definitely want to pursue.”
Bidarian also mentioned that the PFL has expressed interest in promoting such a crossover event.
