Usyk eyeing Wilder or Jon Jones fight for later this year

Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk has set his sights on a major fight before the year is out, with his advisor Sergey Lapin revealing that Usyk is targeting either Deontay Wilder or UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones as his next opponent.

Usyk, 39, enters any potential negotiation as one of combat sports' most decorated active competitors. The Ukrainian southpaw stands six-foot-three with a 78-inch reach and carries a flawless 24-0-0 professional record. Representing the Ready To Fight team, he has long been regarded as one of boxing's pound-for-pound elite and would bring that unbeaten résumé into either matchup.

Jon Jones, nicknamed "Bones," presents the crossover angle. The 38-year-old American holds a 28-1-0 MMA record and currently competes at UFC heavyweight. Standing six-foot-four with a remarkable 84-inch reach, Jones is a physically imposing presence who would hold size advantages over most opponents. He lands 4.38 significant strikes per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate and adds a persistent grappling threat, averaging 1.89 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Why it matters

• Usyk's unbeaten record means either fight carries enormous commercial and historical weight in the heavyweight landscape
• A Usyk-Jones crossover would rank among the most high-profile boxing-versus-MMA events ever discussed, given both men's champion status
• The Wilder option keeps Usyk within boxing but targets one of the division's most dangerous power punchers
• Jones's four-inch reach advantage and MMA ruleset experience would create a genuinely novel stylistic puzzle for Usyk's southpaw boxing

No official agreements have been confirmed, and the timeline remains dependent on negotiations that have not yet been completed, according to the report from Lapin.