Usyk Eyes Fury Trilogy or Benavidez Crossover After Wilder Talks Collapse

Usyk Weighs Fury Trilogy or Benavidez Crossover

Oleksandr Usyk vacated his heavyweight titles and is considering a short list of opponents for one final fight after talks with Deontay Wilder collapsed. According to Ring Magazine, the Ukrainian is now looking at a cross-divisional clash with unbeaten unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion David Benavidez, as well as a possible trilogy with Tyson Fury.

The Fury path depends on the Briton beating Anthony Joshua in Cardiff on December 11. Promoter Frank Warren says the WBA will put its super heavyweight title on the line in that fight, though the WBA has not confirmed this publicly and still lists Murat Gassiev as its sole heavyweight champion. Ring Magazine's Mike Coppinger says a Fury win over Joshua could set up the trilogy with Usyk, who already became the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era when he beat Fury in May 2024.

Dubois Defends WBO Belt Against Wardley at the O2

Daniel Dubois defends his WBO heavyweight title against Fabio Wardley on Saturday at London's O2 Arena, live on DAZN pay-per-view. It is a rematch of their May 9 fight, in which Dubois survived two early knockdowns before stopping Wardley in the 11th round. Dubois is 23-3 with 22 knockouts, Wardley 20-1-1 with 19 knockouts.

Wardley, who called for the immediate rematch, said at Thursday's press conference that he is dropping his brawling approach. "I need a more tactical and a more strategic approach to things," he said. Dubois offered little in response, saying only, "I'm feeling strong, I'm feeling confident and grounded."

Frank Warren says Saturday's winner will be in a strong position as he talks up heavyweight unification fights in 2027.

Itauma Breaks Silence on Hrgovic Stoppage

Moses Itauma has given his first interview since his ninth-round stoppage loss to Filip Hrgovic in August, a fight he was dominating before fading after building a second-round knockdown. He told BBC South East and Radio Kent, "I always say I'd rather be third than second, because if you're third you know you couldn't be number one," and said he is "100%" confident his next title shot will come in 2027.

He told talkSPORT, "my body just started shutting itself down," and noted it was only the third round he has ever lost in his career, coming in a heavyweight world title bout at 21. He called it "a good fight" and said he now gives Hrgovic respect, something he did not show before the bout. Frank Warren says Itauma returns in January against a recognizable name, while Hrgovic must first defend against mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez.

Other Fights and Bookings

Sebastian Fundora defends his WBC super welterweight title against unbeaten mandatory challenger Ermal Hadribeaj on Saturday at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, on TNT and DAZN. Hadribeaj says a win would make him Albania's first world champion, while Fundora said, "Bring it on. Bring it on because that makes it that much easier," and raised a potential future fight with Jaron Ennis at 154 pounds. On the same card, Brandon Figueroa defends the WBA featherweight title against Tomoki Kameda, pitting Figueroa's pressure style against Kameda's experience from more than 45 professional bouts.

Talks between Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez are advancing toward an early 2027 fight. Coppinger said on Inside The Ring that negotiations have "advanced significantly in just a week," with the sides eyeing a bout in the first quarter of 2027. Lopez holds the WBA welterweight belt but is appealing a mandatory order against Jack Catterall, and Coppinger believes the Garcia fight happens regardless of the belt's status.

In regional title action, Giorgio Visioli faces Maxi Hughes on October 24 in Sheffield for the vacant WBC International Silver lightweight title, and Tomas Fermin Irusta meets Dante Colque on Friday in Argentina for the vacant WBA Fedelatin Southern Cone super lightweight title.

WBC Mourns Juan Jose Torres Landa Garcia

The WBC is mourning the death of Juan Jose Torres Landa Garcia, who managed five world champions including Vicente Saldivar and Salvador Sanchez and was a close friend of late WBC president Jose Sulaiman. Current WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said he was deeply saddened by the loss, calling Torres Landa "one of the greats of Mexican boxing" and "a soul brother" to his father.

Queensberry's German Push Pressures Rival Promotion

Queensberry's expansion into Germany is creating friction for smaller promotions there. Ringside Zone's Florian Winter says he is building his own brand so fans buy tickets regardless of who headlines, rather than relying on one star the way German boxing leaned on the Klitschko brothers. He pointed to his May show in Mannheim, where Paddy Donovan beat Karen Chukhadzhian in front of a crowd of more than 10,000 that he says most people doubted he could draw, helping bring in sponsorship and media attention.

U19 World Championships Open in Montenegro

The World Boxing U19 World Championships have opened in Budva, Montenegro.