Eddie Hearn, co-promoter for IBF, IBO, WBO, WBA cruiserweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk, is hoping to close up a deal for the unified beltholder to make his heavyweight debut against former champion Alexander Povetkin.
Povetkin has been out of the ring since getting stopped in seven rounds by unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua last September at Wembley Stadium in London.
Usyk is very much on board with the contest and likes the idea of facing Povetkin, a former WBA champion and Olympic gold medal winner.
The hitch in making the fight a reality, is reaching a financial agreement with Povetkin, who wants to be financially taken care of in this scenario.
The contest, if a deal is reached, is being targeted for May 18 in Chicago.
“We're in talks. I think it's a very tough fight to go into heavyweight, but they [Team Usyk] like the fight,” Hearn told Express Sport. "It's a tough one for Povetkin because he's in a situation where his stock has actually risen through the AJ fight.
“He could come out and have a standard fight or he could dive straight into a fight where if he loses his career is over so he's also balancing up where it's risk versus reward. Fans don't really want to hear that it's got to be financially right but that's how things are evaluated by teams.”
Povetkin, 39-year-olds, is at the end of the road in his 14-year professional career, and wants as much money as possible - as a loss to a cruiserweight coming up in weight would be the final nail in the coffin of his pro run.
“Povetkin is not just saying ‘give me a good offer and I'll take it’, he's thinking 'if I lose this fight my career is over, so I want enough money to make sure it's worth taking,'" Hearn said.
“Usyk is actually a different beast, he's actually like 'I like that fight', that's a really tough fight to move into heavyweight to. They're [his team] up for fighting anyone and I like that. Again, it doesn't mean they're going to fight them for peanuts but he likes the challenge.
“I think if he fights Povetkin in his first fight at heavyweight, I think that's a hell of a statement.”