Oleksandr Usyk vs. Andrey Fedosov possible for Oct.12

By Boxing News - 08/22/2019 - Comments

Image: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Andrey Fedosov possible for Oct.12

By Kenneth Friedman: Oleksandr Usyk (16-0, 12 KOs) will fight on October 12 against possibly Andrey Fedosov (31-3, 25 KOs). The 33-year-old Fedosov has accepted an offer to face Usyk, according to K2 promoter Alex Krassyuk @UA_Boxing. However, there are still other heavyweights in the running for Usyk’s next fight; one of them being former world title challenger Carlos Takam. It’s not a done deal that Usyk will be facing Fedosov.

Eddie Hearn of Matchroom wants the 38-year-old Takam (36-5-1, 28 KOs). He had previously been scheduled to face Usyk on May 25 in Oxon Hill, Maryland. The fight was wiped out when Usyk suffered a biceps injury while training. He had to pull out of the fight. Takam recently signed with Star Boxing in the U.S.

It’s unclear whether that promotional company will want to throw Takam in with a fighter like Usyk straightaway after signing him. At this point in Takam’s career, he’s needs some confidence boosters, as he’s been knocked out in two out of his last three fights. It could be a mistake if Takam is put in with a tricky fighter like Usyk given his recent losses to Anthony Joshua and Dereck Chisora.

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Fedosov an excellent choice for Usyk

The 33-year-old Fedosov is a solid fighter with with past wins over these fighters:

  • Joey Dawejko
  • Mario Heredia
  • Francisco Mireles
  • Donovan Dennis
  • Darnell Wilson
  • Lenroy Thomas
  • Lionel Butler

Dawejko is a fighter that was rumored to have knocked down Anthony Joshua in sparring while he was preparing for his fight with Andy Ruiz Jr. on June 1.  Fedosov beat Dawejko by a one-sided 10 round unanimous decision in his last fight in October 2018.

The positives about Usyk fighting Fedosov:

  • Hardcore fans familiar with him
  • Excellent skills
  • Good boxing pedigree
  • Fedosov comes to fight, and will make it interesting for fans

Usyk with less to gain fighting Fedosov

The negatives about Usyk facing Fedosov:

  • The inactivity of Fedosov. Usyk will be getting a ring rusty fighter, as he’ll have been out of the ring for 12 months by the time they fight on October 12. Fedosov’s last fight was in October last year against Dawejko. Perhaps that’s not a concern for Usyk and his promoters. It should be a concern, but if the fight is more about showcasing Usyk’s talent, then it won’t matter that Fedosov is coming off of a long layoff.
  • Not well known to the casual boxing fans in the U.S
  • Fedosov has struggled in the past he’s stepped it up against higher caliber opposition. He looked poor against Bryan Jennings in 2013 in losing by a sixth round knockout. A past his prime Lance ‘Mount’ Whitaker beat Fedosov by a 12 round split decision in 2010. Whitaker was 38-years-old at the time, and not the fighter that he’d been a decade earlier.