By Vadim Pushkin
Olympic gold medal winner Oleksandr Usyk (9-0, 9KOs) is prepared to conquer the entire cruiserweight division.
The highly respected up and comer is going to take his first step at achieving that goal when he faces dangerous WBO world champion Krysztof Glowacki on September 17th in Poland. Glowacki snatched the title away last year in a Fight of The Year battle when he stopped longtime champion Marco Huck, and then retained the belt in April with a decision over Steve Cunningham.
“Krysztof Glowacki is a good boxer,” Usyk told John Evans of Boxing Monthly. “He has my respect because he took the belt from Marco Huck. He crushed him. That’s why I think Glowacki is a good boxer. This won’t be easy but when I box with him I will do what I do always. Win. I only win.”
Another cruiserweight in his sights is newly crowned WBC world champion Tony Bellew (27-2-1, 17KOs), who got off the floor in the first round and captured the title with a spectacular knockout in the third over Ilunga Makabu.
Usyk has no issue with traveling over to the UK and giving Bellew the home advantage. Bellew is trying to land a fight with former two-division world champion David Haye and owes mandatory shots to 'champion in recess' Grigory Drozd and top rated contender Mairis Briedis.
“I heard Bellew say that he likes me, and I respect him too,” Usyk said. “Makabu is a strong man, and that was a good victory. I’m ready to go to Liverpool and win in Goodison Park. In this division there are some dangerous boxers, but I think I am the best. It isn’t the most popular division at the moment, but it is very dangerous. Maybe, with the fighters and fights we have, we will eventually become the most popular division.”
