On Saturday night, boxing fans were left wondering whether Oleksandr Usyk’s next opponent could be Jake Paul, after the undisputed heavyweight champion faced off with the YouTuber at Wembley Stadium.
The surprising staredown came moments after Usyk stopped Daniel Dubois – for the second time in two years – to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion. The Ukrainian, 38, finished Dubois, 27, in round five, having previously beaten the Briton in 2023.
Saturday’s result in London saw Usyk retain the unified titles and recapture the IBF belt, and it also ensured the southpaw stayed unbeaten. In his post-fight interview, attention quickly turned to his next fight, after he refrained from suggesting that he could retire, with the Ukrainian mentioning Joseph Parker and old rival Tyson Fury as possible foes.
However, it was YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul who entered the ring to face off with Usyk, before the pair shared a respectful handshake.
American Paul, 28, has a 12-1 record as a professional boxer, and his most recent result was a points win over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. That result in June followed his decision victory against Mike Tyson, 58, in November.
And after beating a former undisputed heavyweight champion on that occasion, Paul seemingly wants a clash with the current undisputed heavyweight king.
The face-off came days after Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh said Paul had “accepted” a fight with Anthony Joshua, with whom Alalshikh is set to speak next week.
Joshua last fought in September, suffering a knockout loss to Dubois at Wembley.
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