Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk has reacted to promoter Oscar De La Hoya’s statement this week that unified heavyweight champion Usyk will return to cruiserweight to face the winner of Saturday night’s unification bout between the champions Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and Chris Billiam-Smith. Usyk again must kill the ogre again before he can make a decision about whether to return to the dead, lifeless cruiserweight divisions to become undisputed again. I wouldn’t do it if I were Usyk.
Krassyuk said Usyk is solely focused on his Dec. 21 rematch against Tyson Fury. No decision will be made by Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) until after that fight. Alex notes that De La Hoya is doing his job to promote the career of “Zurdo” Ramirez. In other words, De La Hoya will do everything he can to create false hype for Ramirez’s fight against Billiam-Smith.
God knows, there’s almost no buzz for the Ramirez-Billiam-Smith fight from US fans. They see it as a lackluster fight, mainly because Zurdo Ramirez has a boring style, and Billiam-Smith is an obscure champion who hits incessantly.
It’s the kind of fight where the average fan turns the channel and sees something else. The real interest on Saturday’s card is the William Zepeda vs. Tevin Farmer lightweight fight.
If Usyk returns to cruiserweight, he would be better off choosing IBF champion Jai Opetaia for his first fight because he is considered the number one fighter in the division. It would be the best option for Usyk to fight and then take the easier fight against the winner of the Ramirez vs Billiam-Smith fight, as they are both extremely limited fighters in terms of talent.
Usyk Focused on Rematch With Fury
“Our immediate horizon is Tyson Fury. So we decide. Oscar (De La Hoya) is doing his best to promote Zurdo. It’s his job as a promoter,” manager Alex Krassyuk told Sky Sports Boxing on X when asked about his fighter Oleksandr Usyk returning to cruiserweight to fight the winner of Saturday’s unification match between champions Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez and Chris Billiam-Smith.
Those will be easy fights for Usyk. The tough one would be Opetaia, but only because of his power. Opetaia is not much of a boxer, and as we saw in his rematch with Mairis Briedis, he does not react well to pressure.
Usyk turns 38 on January 17, and it would be important for him to take on the toughest challenge immediately if he chooses to drop down to cruiserweight to try to become the undisputed champion for a second time.
On another note: Usyk would be take a massive pay cut to return to cruiserweight rather than stay at heavyweight for lucrative fights against Anthony Joshua and perhaps a trilogy against Fury.
There are not a real upside for Usyk to return to cruiserweight to try to become undisputed champion a second time. Gilberto Ramirez is not popular in the United States or worldwide. The same goes for Billiam-Smith and Opetaia. The money Usyk would receive and the accolades for being undisputed again would be minimal. The fans would not be thrilled with that achievement.
WBA cruiserweight champion ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (46-1, 30 KOs) faces WBO champion Billiam-Smith (20-1, 13 KOs) in the 12-round main event this Saturday, November 16 at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will be shown live on DAZN.
