By Vadim Pushkin

Undefeated Olympic gold medal winner Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine will return to action on April 23rd in Kiev (Ukraine).

Usyk (9-0, 9KO) will take on 31-year-old Briton Stephen Simmons (14-1, 6KO), who won three in a row since getting stopped by Jon-Lewis Dickinson last year.

Usyk is the mandatory challenger to the WBO cruiserweight world title, which is currently held by champion KrzysztofGlowacki (25-0, 16KOs) of Poland. He was ready to face Glowacki next, but the champion elected to take a very tough voluntary fight with former IBF champion Steve Cunningham (28-7-1, 13KOs) on April 16th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Usyk was in action back in December, when he stopped heavyweight contender Pedro Rodriguez in seven rounds in Kiev.

His next opponent, date and venue will be revealed next week.

Glowacki captured the title last August with a come from behind knockout of longtime champion Marco Huck. He suffered several injuries in the fight and had to have surgery. Now fully in training and recovered from his injuries, he elected to face Cunningham, who returns to the cruiserweight ranks after contending as a heavyweight for the last few years. Cunningham's last fight, in 2015, ended in a draw with former champion Antonio Tarver.

The winner of Glowacki-Cunningham will have to face Usyk next or face the possibility of being stripped. The dangerous fighter from Ukraine is viewed as a rising superstar in the sport and many expect him to eventually rise up and invade the heavyweight division. At 29-years-old, he is being fast-tracked after turning professional in November of 2013.