'Unknown' Opetaia could offer Usyk a fresh challenge

Oleksandr Usyk's special brand of dominance is the type that can leave a vacuum.

- ALEX PATTLE

When you've beaten the most formidable competitors in your division, who can provide a compelling challenge? That is the question facing Usyk, the unified heavyweight champion. And the answer, perhaps, does not lie in his division – not his current one, anyway.

While many, including The Independent, have urged Usyk to leave boxing with his unbeaten record and perfect legacy intact, it seems he will persist. With his beloved Ukraine still locked in conflict with Russia, the 37-year-old (38 on 17 January) will apparently keep fighting, flying his nation’s flag, and backing himself to win.

And while few should doubt Usyk’s ability or motivation to do just that, such a decision would bring a natural risk. His back-toback victories over Tyson Fury appear the perfect performances with which to end his historic career, and there is no contender whom fans are demanding Usyk face, but a match-up with a younger, heavier hitter could be the challenge to finally blemish the southpaw’s resume.

That was not the case against Daniel Dubois in 2023, but Usyk is two years older now, and if the Briton can retain the IBF belt against Joseph Parker in February, he may well get his rematch. Yes, Usyk would be backed to overcome Dubois, just as he did via TKO in their first clash, but the 27-year-old is a boxer reborn – and believes he was even denied a stoppage of Usyk when he landed a borderline body shot, which was ruled a low blow.