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Tony Bellew To Face Oleksandr Usyk To Be Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion

Tony Bellew To Face Oleksandr Usyk To Be Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion

The Liverpudlian boxer will take on the undefeated Ukrainian to be crowned champion of the cruiserweight division on November 10th.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

Tony Bellew is set to face Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed cruiserweight championship in Manchester on November 10th with the former champion getting the chance to win back the title he never lost in the ring.

Tony Bellew's two most recent fights were at heavyweight as he twice defied bookies and most boxing fans by stopping David Haye but in two months time he will return to the cruiserweight division.

The British boxer will face undefeated Oleksandr Usyk for the WBA (Unified), WBC, IBF, WBO, The Ring, and lineal cruiserweight titles in after the Ukrainian beat Russian Murat Gassiev July to become the undisputed champion in the World Boxing Super Series final.

Speaking to Sky Sports about the fight Bellew said, "This is the ultimate test for me. There is no greater test than Oleksandr Usyk, he is one of the most feared men in boxing. This is nothing new to me, everyone says that I can't do it again. Everybody is saying that I'll get beat-up quickly, but we'll find out won't we.

"Make no mistake, I know this is the most dangerous fight of my life, but I'm also going into this with my eyes wide open, I'm not in awe of Oleksandr Usyk. I won't stand and admire him and allow him to rattle off five-punch combinations on my head.

"He's meeting someone now who's just as quick as him, someone that's competed at a division lighter than him and someone that's come across fighters much more powerful than him.

"I'm going into this fight with absolutely nothing to lose because the whole world thinks I'm going to get smashed. I have everything to gain and nothing to lose. On November 10, I'm going to do something that nobody has ever done before, I'm going to knock out an undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world."

Usyk said, "I've been preparing for this fight for a long time and I'm delighted that we've got the venue and the date finalised. I cannot wait to fight in the UK.

"I am deep into my training camp with my team, working hard and preparing for a long fight with Tony.

"He says he will beat me and I love his attitude, but you cannot beat-up somebody who is invisible in the ring. As always I will be victorious on Nov 10."

It was thought the fight might have been at heavyweight but Usyk now looks set to move up in weight class after the fight, as long as he is successful.

Bellew held the WBC version of the cruiserweight title for six months in 2016 before moving up to face Haye.

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Topics: Boxing News, Oleksandr Usyk, Tony Bellew