Boxing champ Oleksandr Usyk is open to fighting Jake Paul on one surprising condition
03/24/2025 05:42 PM
Undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk is open to fighting Jake Paul, but not for the reason you’d probably think.
Oleksandr Usyk and Jake Paul are two of the biggest names in modern boxing, albeit for different reasons. Usyk is arguably boxing’s pound-for-pound king at present, and Paul is regarded as one of the sport’s most polarizing personalities.
Usyk’s platform is bigger than ever before after back-to-back wins over Tyson Fury inside the ring. He’s expected to face another big name for his next fight, potentially Joseph Parker, to defend his undisputed heavyweight championship.
In recent weeks, Anthony Joshua and other big-name boxing standouts have entertained possibly facing Paul in a future bout. Paul was in serious talks to fight Canelo Alvarez before negotiations fell apart at the one-yard-line, as Alvarez signed a lucrative deal with Riyadh Season and Turki Alalshikh.
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Oleksandr Usyk open to talking with Jake Paul and his team about a future fight
Usyk’s team is ready to make a fight with Paul happen but in a different discipline.
In a recent interview with OLBG, Usyk’s team executive Sergey Lapin was asked about a potential future clash with Paul.
“Usyk has always cared only about fighting the best and creating a lasting legacy in the great sport of boxing,” Lapin began. “But in the future, as he further solidifies his place as one of the true great fighters, we’ll see what other opportunities open up for him.
"It might be great to step into the cage with Jake Paul under MMA rules, it would be interesting if there is money to be made from it. Also, we never say never about fighting the dangerous Alex Pereira, possibly partnered with Dana White.”
Usyk has expressed interest in facing UFC superstar Alex Pereira in a future crossover fight, which UFC CEO Dana White recently shut down. But an MMA fight between Usyk and Paul could be brokered with a non-UFC promoter.
Paul has repeatedly teased a future move to MMA, especially after signing with the PFL in 2023. But two years after his signing, he hasn’t appeared in the cage and remains focused on advancing his boxing career.
Meanwhile, Usyk has never competed in MMA during his combat sports career and doesn’t possess any notable grappling experience to go along with his boxing skillset. But Usyk’s willingness to learn and grow could make an MMA debut enticing in the coming years.
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Darts star promises to ‘one-punch knockout’ Jake Paul during recent event
Paul remains in talks for his boxing return later this year, and could potentially face Joshua after jabbing the heavyweight star as having ‘no chin’. Joshua is also open to facing Paul after falling to Daniel Dubois in his most-recent outing.
Paul was also called out in a viral moment by Darts star Gerwyn Price, to which Paul immediately responded on social media. Price promised to knock out Paul with one punch, to which Paul invited Price to an impromptu sparring session.
Paul remains one of the biggest talking points of boxing and continues to draw attention from Usyk, Joshua, and the like. But time will tell if an MMA debut will finally come to fruition, but Usyk is ready to be Paul’s first MMA opponent.
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