RUMOR Usyk plans one more fight before retiring; adviser eyes cruiserweight Benavidez bout

Oleksandr Usyk has set an end point: one more professional boxing fight, then retirement. The question now is who the last opponent is, and at what weight. Usyk's camp and outside voices disagree.

Usyk, 39, told Sport.ua he feels the strain on his body. "I am a regular person, not a machine or an alien," he said. He pointed to Mike Tyson as proof that boxers talk about leaving and then come back, and said the decision is hard after giving boxing so much of his life. He has a family, and says every athlete must think about life after the sport. His plans include training and, he has said, possibly politics.

The latest talk centers on David Benavidez. Usyk's manager Lapin told Casinostugan that 2027 is the last chapter of Usyk's career and that he wants to finish as undisputed cruiserweight champion, with a vacant title first and then Benavidez. Benavidez has said his team has talked to Usyk's side about a cruiserweight fight. Usyk himself has not commented on that.

The weight is the sticking point. Usyk's last nine fights were at heavyweight, and his last cruiserweight bout was an eighth-round KO of Tony Bellew in November 2018, according to Coppinger. Trainer Robert Garcia said in a video interview he doubts Usyk will drop down, and that Usyk would insist on fighting at whatever weight he comes in at.

Another route is Deontay Wilder. Polish media have linked Usyk with the former champion, and MMA.pl later said those talks fell through. Wilder has also been linked with Rico Verhoeven and Jai Opetaia.

Usyk's last fight was against kickboxing champion Verhoeven. MMA.pl said he looked slower than before and struggled with Verhoeven's style, and that the fight brought controversy. That is the outlet's view, not an official finding. He gave up his WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles in June.

Benavidez is 29, a light heavyweight, and meets Michal Cieslak on Dec. 5 in Glendale, Arizona, for the WBC belt. Any Usyk deal will likely wait on that result, so watch for an announced opponent and weight after it.