Oleksandr Usyk Plans Cruiserweight Return With David Benavidez in His Sights

Oleksandr Usyk is planning a return to cruiserweight, and David Benavidez could be waiting at the end of that road. Usyk adviser Serhii Lapin told The Ring on Friday that the former undisputed cruiserweight champion intends to drop back to 200 pounds for his next bout while pursuing a potential superfight with Benavidez.

The plan adds a major new wrinkle to a matchup that had previously been discussed with Benavidez potentially moving up to heavyweight. Usyk instead wants to return to the division he fully unified in 2018 and attempt to become undisputed there again. Benavidez currently owns the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles and is scheduled to face WBC champion Michal Cieslak in a three-belt unification fight Dec. 5 in Arizona. The IBF championship is currently vacant, leaving Usyk a possible route to acquire the remaining belt before a Benavidez showdown.

Nothing is signed, and Benavidez still has significant business directly in front of him, so this should not yet be treated as a confirmed fight. But the source of the development matters: the cruiserweight plan is coming directly from Usyk’s adviser. If both men continue winning, a 2027 meeting could offer Usyk the chance to chase undisputed status in the division for a second time while giving Benavidez the biggest name of his career.