Usyk targets 2027 cruiserweight return and Benavidez fight

Oleksandr Usyk plans to return to cruiserweight in 2027, first pursuing a vacant world title and then targeting an undisputed fight with David Benavidez, according to his adviser Sergey Lapin. Lapin has described the year as the final chapter of Usyk’s career, but neither proposed bout has been confirmed. Lapin said Usyk’s initial aim is to fight for a vacant cruiserweight title before seeking to unify the division’s belts against Benavidez. Usyk became undisputed cruiserweight champion before moving up to heavyweight in 2019. The proposed route would offer him a chance to pursue undisputed status in the division for a second time. Usyk has also said he wants the Benavidez fight at cruiserweight. In an interview with DAZN Boxing, he said he wanted to remove weight as an excuse for the eventual result. That choice would require Usyk to make the cruiserweight limit, a division he left when he moved to heavyweight. The plan remains contingent on arranging the fights. Lapin’s comments describe a sequence of intended bouts, not agreements with opponents or confirmed dates. The first step, a fight for a vacant title, has not been assigned an opponent in the plan described by the...