Oleksandr Usyk won't make 'impossible' move back to cruiserweight, says Daniel Dubois' promoter Frank Warren

Oleksandr Usyk won’t move out of the heavyweight division to pursue more accolades at cruiserweight, insists Frank Warren.

Usyk, previously the undisputed cruiserweight champion, went undisputed at heavyweight when he beat Tyson Fury last May and remained undefeated after winning last month's rematch with Fury.

The Ukrainian has previously suggested that he could subsequently move back down to cruiserweight.

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But Frank Warren, who promotes Daniel Dubois, the new holder of the IBF heavyweight belt, was unconvinced.

"He won't. See the size of him, it's impossible," Warren told Sky Sports.

Usyk hasn't boxed at cruiserweight since 2018 and is now well settled at heavyweight. For his five most recent fights he has always weighed in over 220lbs.

"You've only got to look at the size of him, that's not going to happen," said Warren, who expects Usyk to box the victor of Dubois' February 22 IBF title bout with Joseph Parker.

The most lucrative fight, Warren pointed out "for him [is] the winner of this. A big fight, a massive fight."

Warren is backing Britain's Dubois to overcome his next challenger, in-form New Zealander Parker.

"I'll be confident after the fight. I believe in him that's why we made the fight but anything can happen with these big guys. They're big lumps. They throw bombs, the pair of them," the promoter said.

"It's not like Parker's a novice. He's been there, done it, been a world champion. He's on a roll at the moment. You see he's got a fighter's heart in that fight with [Zhilei] Zhang. He was on the floor twice that fight, still gritted his teeth and came through."

Dubois boxed Usyk in 2023 when he was stopped in nine rounds. Usyk did visit the canvas himself in that fight, but due to a low blow. He took the allotted time to recover and rose to then halt the Briton.

But nevertheless that had convinced Warren that Dubois has the beating of the unified champion.

"I genuinely still believe he would have beaten Usyk if it weren't for what was going on in his head at the time with the referee," the promoter said. "All that four-minute break. He would have jumped on him.

"Was it a low blow? I don't think it was a low blow, some people think it was. But the bottom line of it is four minutes when he [Usyk] wanted to fight himself and the referee said take more time."

However now, after crushing Anthony Joshua in just five rounds in September, Dubois has matured into a dangerous world titlist.

"90 per cent of it is mental," Warren said. "It's took time. He's had a couple of hiccups on the way but you look at the fights he's had and what he's done - he's learned.

"He's a very young guy. He's matured mentally, which is really important. He's got the skills. He's comfortable with [trainer] Don Charles, who's done a brilliant job with him and this is his time."

Warren believes that by the end of this year it will be Dubois, not Usyk, who is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

"If he comes through this, and fights Usyk..." Warren said, "...I do think [he will be]."

(c) Sky Sports 2025: Oleksandr Usyk won't make 'impossible' move back to cruiserweight, says Daniel Dubois' promoter Frank Warren