Oleksandr Usyk responds to Jake Paul fight demand after face-off
Oleksandr Usyk is ready to fight Jake Paul in the cage after the pair's impromptu face-off on Saturday night.
Usyk had barely caught breath after knocking out Daniel Dubois for a second time, this time in front of over 90,000 fans at Wembley, to become the undisputed heavyweight champion for a second time. Paul, who had been ringside, made his way into the squared circle to confront Usyk.
The moment was captured on video and shared by Paul on X - the platform formerly known as Twitter - with the caption: "Congrats to one of the greatest heavyweights of all time @usykaa on a huge win. I respect you a lot. Now we do an MMA match for the world @MostVpromotions."
Asked about a potential fight later on, Usyk didn't hesitate to weigh in on the confrontation with the YouTuber-turned-boxer. " Jake Paul came to the ring for a face-off. I'm ready to fight with Jake Paul in MMA rules. I'm ready but I need to rest," he declared.
While the encounter may have been in good spirits, boxing enthusiasts swiftly voiced their displeasure in the comments section. One fan expressed disdain, saying, "Letting him in the same ring as Usyk is an insult," Another added, "It should never be sanctioned, Usyk will murder the YouTuber!" A third chimed in, "Please don't disrespect us and Usyk like this," while yet another stated, "This is absolutely ridiculous. Get Jake Paul out of there." And a fifth comment read, "Embarrassing shouldn't even be allowed in the same ring as Usyk."
Paul, who inked a deal with the PFL two years ago, is still waiting to step into the MMA arena for his first bout. In a surprising move last May, the American shook up the boxing scene by challenging Usyk to an MMA showdown.
"Yeah, I want to be like Holly (Holm) here and test my skills in the cage," The Problem Child remarked, alluding to the renowned boxer-turned-MMA fighter. "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 would need to find the right opponent. [Oleksandr] Usyk, maybe."
Nakisa Bidarian, Paul's business associate, then chimed in on the matter, fuelling speculation about a potential blockbuster clash between the two. "Usyk has called out Jake multiple times in MMA," he noted. "They've been in touch with us behind the scenes saying they want to do that fight in 2026. So it's something that we definitely want to pursue."
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