Oleksandr Usyk ready to ‘completely restructure' his career for shock Jake Paul fight… with talks underway
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OLEKSANDR USYK is ready to "completely restructure" his career in order to fight Jake Paul.
The boxing legend has called out YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Paul to a bout in the MMA cage.
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Jake Paul has been called out to an MMA fight by Oleksandr Usyk
Credit: The Mega Agency
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Usyk is ready to 'completely restructure' his training for the fight
Credit: Getty
Usyk has experience in grappling as a youngster but has no training in MMA - despite challenging the American to a fight in the cage.
Sergey Lapin, a member of Usyk's camp, told Norske Bettingsider: "The Jake Paul fight is a great show.
"Imagine the announcement - an undisputed boxing champion stepping into the cage to fight under MMA rules against a guy who's beaten several MMA fighters in the boxing ring.
"That would be something fans would love to see.We would need to completely restructure our training camp - bring in wrestling and kickboxing experts to master the techniques needed for the cage.
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"But we saw the reaction from Jake Paul's team - they're into the idea. Usyk said, 'Why not? It's cool - I love challenges.'
"He even mentioned he used to wrestle and take part in hand-to-hand combat as a kid. It would be a great fight in the cage.
"But right now, our main focus is the undisputed fight on July 19 in London. After that, we'll revisit discussions with Jake Paul's team."
Usyk, 38, returns at Wembley Stadium to rematch Daniel Dubois, 27, who he beat in 2023.
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And it will be for the undisputed heavyweight titles following the Ukrainian's two points wins over Tyson Fury, 36, last year.
Usyk has warned he has just two fights left and has called out UFC star Alex Pereira, 37, in the past.
Moses Itauma, 20, lined up for sensational world title fight against Oleksandr Usyk this year
Paul, 28, meanwhile faces former middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, 39, in his next bout on June 28 in California.
It comes off the back of his points win in November against Mike Tyson, who controversially made a comeback aged 58.
Paul is also signed to the Professional Fighters League and eyes an MMA debut next year with Usyk among his options.
He said: "That's something I'm super, super interested in and I think it would be a very, very big spectacle.
"Nate Diaz is still ducking but we need to find the right opponent, Usyk maybe."
Paul's promotional partner Nakisa Bidarian added: "Usyk has called out Jake multiple times in MMA.
"They've been in touch with us behind the scenes saying they want to do that in 2026. So something we definitely want to pursue."
Bidarian added that the PFL have shown interest in promoting the crossover fight.
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