A veteran star who admittedly gave Oleksandr Usyk his toughest test has weighed in on the Ukrainian’s immediate future in the ring.
Currently dealing with an undisclosed injury, undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has been linked heavily in recent weeks with a whole host of title outings in his comeback.
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Fresh from his knockout of Daniel Dubois just earlier this summer, Usyk has been most heavily tied to a showdown with Joseph Parker — seeking an extension from the WBO in order to hash out terms for a possible fight.
However, a former opponent of Usyk has suggested the Ukrainian takes on a charge from a division lower in his immediate return to the ring.
Mairis Briedis calls for Oleksandr Usyk to fight Jai Opetaia next
Credited largely with pushing the unbeaten Usyk to his absolute limit during their respective cruiserweight days, Latvian veteran Mairis Briedis narrowly found himself on the wrong side of a majority decision loss to the Ukrainian star.
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And also sharing the ring twice with unbeaten Australian star Jai Opetaia, Briedis would suffer back-to-back decision losses to the IBF and The Ring cruiserweight champion before his retirement.
Weighing in on a mooted fight between Usyk and Opetaia as a result, Briedis suggested the showdown would be the “greatest” bout available to matchmakers at the heavyweight limit today.
“Jai (Opetaia) vs. (Oleksandr) Usyk it was [is] the greatest fight,” Briedis told Boxing News. “Yeah, Turki Alalshikh can make this [fight].
“I fought with Jai, I fought with Usyk,” Briedis continued. “I know both guys. It’s the highest level [fight]. Both guys are southpaws. For this fight, I don’t sleep all night to wait for this fight. But, we’ll see.”
Jai Opetaia also urged to fight Dmitry Bivol next
As well as links to a showdown with Usyk, Australian force Opetaia has been tied to a potential matchup opposite current light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol.
Unbeaten in his 28 career fights, Opetaia has proved himself as a devastating knockout artist in the ring, stopping 22 foes to largely clear out the cruiserweight division so far.
And amid links to a heavyweight move, Opetaia saw Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn discuss a potential super fight between him and Russian star Bivol in a potential climb from light heavyweight.
“We talked about him (Dmitry Bivol) stepping up and fighting Jai Opetaia at cruiserweight,” Hearn told Boxing News.”
“I think it’s a fantastic fight,” Hearn continued.