LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 19: Oleksandr Usyk poses for a photo with the title belts after victory over Daniel Dubois (not pictured) following their IBF, IBO, WBC and WBO World Heavyweight titles’ fight on the ‘Undisputed’ fight night card at Wembley Stadium on July 19, 2025, in London, England. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Oleksandr Usyk announced that he has changed his retirement plans and intends to continue boxing until the age of 41. Usyk, 38, will not fight again until 2026, he turns 39 in January. This means this Usyk has two more years in the ring with realistically two to four fights left on the table. The question is: Who deserves to challenge him for Undisputed at heavyweight?

The Winner of Joseph Parker vs Fabio Wardley

Parker (36-3) is a former WBO heavyweight champion and the current WBO interim champion who is currently riding a six-fight win streak. He is the most deserving opponent for Oleksandr Usyk. However, Joseph Parker fights Fabio Wardley on October 25th at the O2 Arena in London. Wardley, the WBA interim champion is 19-0-1 with eighteen wins by knockout. The 33-year-old Parker has the experience advantage with 39 professional fights under his belt as well as championship experience. This is a risky fight for Jospeh Parker, who was ordered to face Oleksandr Usyk next; but the undisputed heavyweight king has been sidelined due to injury, Parker chose not to sit and wait. Parker has a nice stretch since his loss to Joe Joyce in 2022 and has completely revived his career to the point where an argument can be made that he is the fourth best heavyweight of his generation behind Usyk, Fury and Joshua. Parker has deserved this fight for some time now. The problem is, if he loses to Wardley all the good work he has done the last three years will be forgotten.

The WBC Interim Champion Agit Kabayel

Agit Kabayel is the current WBC champion and an undefeated contender with a record of 26-0. Kabayel is coming off five consecutive knockout victories including a signature KO win over Zhilei Zhang. Currently, the 33-year-old is ranked as the #2 active heavyweight by BoxRec and is ranked fourth by the Ring Magazine. He is scheduled to defend his title in January 2026 with the opponent to be determined. If Kabayel has another exciting KO win over a formidable heavyweight, he could soon enter the title conversation following Parker/ Wardley vs Usyk.

Moses Itamua is the Future of the Heavyweight Division

The 20-year-old British Boxer is being labeled as the next great heavyweight. The future of the heavyweight division and a star in the making, Itamua will have backing from Riyadh Season and His Excellency Turki Al-Sheikh.
Itamua vs Usyk sells.

I want to see Usyk against Itauma. This is the fight. 🤷🏻‍♂️🥊

— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) July 19, 2025

Usyk vs Itamua will not take place in 2026. Could Itamua make the necessary adjustments to force himself into the heavyweight title conversation in 2027?
Should this fight take place at all given the eighteen-year age gap? I find it highly unlikely that Itamua will be a ready title contender by the time Usyk retires at the end of 2027. By the time he is a worthy challenger, father time may have caught up with Usyk. Still, it would be interesting to see Usyk face off with a fighter of a different generation. Especially as we always compare the greats to past champions. If Usyk and Itamua share the ring, there would be no debate.

An old friend in Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury

I hope Usyk never steps in the ring with any of these three ever again. Anthony Joshua lost twice to Usyk and is coming off a likely career altering beating against Daneil Dubois. He is an A-Side name in the heavyweight division who can sell tickets and make Usyk a ton of money, but it feels safe to say his days as an elite heavyweight are over.

The same could be said for Tyson Fury. The second-best heavyweight of this era. He lost to Oleksandr Usyk twice. We have a definitive answer who the better fighter and it is Oleksandr Usyk. Why run it back? Same answer as AJ, money. Fury and Usyk put on two epic fights in 2024; the first of which is an all-time classic. This time the two greatest heavyweights can for undisputed (again) on Netflix where the whole world can watch. Turki- Al-Sheikh and Tyson Fury’s relationship is strong enough where a trilogy between Usyk may actually take place. However, following two losses, Fury should be forced to win another fight or two. But the politics of boxing may favor him to get another shot against Oleksandr Usyk.

Both Joshua and Fury appear to be past their prime and they both have been away from boxing for a year. If they are to ever compete in the ring again it should be against each other and not for the undisputed heavyweight crown. In an ideal world, Usyk faces off against more worthy challengers in Parker, Wardley, Kabayel and maybe Itamua to close out his career. The final chapter of Oleksandr Usyk’s career will be fascinating to watch. Can he become the fourth ever heavyweight champion to retire as the lineal champion joining Gene Tunney, Rocky Marciano and Lennox Lewis? Will he join Rocky Marciano as the only heavyweight champions to retire undefeated? Given the current landscape of the division and how Usyk looked in his last performance against Dubois, it feels likely he will retire on top of the boxing world, but a lot can change in two years.