What next for heavyweight division after Usyk's win?
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What next for heavyweight division after Usyk's win?Image source, MatchroomImage caption, Oleksandr Usyk won Olympic gold at London 2012ByKal SajadBBC Sport boxing journalistPublished2 hours ago53 CommentsOleksandr Usyk came through a gritty contest to beat a game Rico Verhoeven and retain his heavyweight world titles.Usyk, 39, was pushed to his limits by Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, but ultimately delivered the goods with one second remaining in the 11th round.The Ukrainian had it all to lose against an opponent who had competed only once in boxing, although he carried a formidable record from kickboxing.Usyk, who extended his undefeated record to 25 wins, consistently said in the build-up to this bout that he still wanted to fight on two more occasions before considering whether to hang up the gloves.With no shortage of challengers queuing up for a shot at one of Usyk's three belts - the WBA 'super', WBC and IBF - who could be next for the pound-for-pound great?Usyk keeps titles with controversial Verhoeven stoppagePublished9 hours agoUsyk v Verhoeven - scorecards at time of stoppagePublished8 hours agoWill Kabayel finally get his shot?Usyk still holds three heavyweight belts but, with only a handful of fights left before retirement, there is a growing sense that he is no longer driven by collecting titles.Mandatory challengers are enforced on a rotating basis between sanctioning bodies, and next in line is WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel - widely viewed as the most deserving contender yet to receive his opportunity.The unbeaten German has quietly built one of the strongest recent resumes in the division, stopping Arslanbek Makhmudov, Frank Sanchez and Zhilei Zhang to make his case for a title shot.Yet there has been little indication that Usyk is interested in the fight.Meanwhile, on the undercard in Giza, Sanchez earned a stunning knockout win against Richard Torrez Jr to become the leading contender for Usyk's IBF belt....





