Former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is back in the spotlight with a major update regarding his next fight. However, this announcement has effectively shut the door on a potential blockbuster clash with UFC star Alex Pereira, as Dana White was unable to make the dream crossover bout a reality for ‘Poatan.’ So, what exactly is the big update?

After coming off his rematch win over former world champion, Tyson Fury, Usyk said that he wants to fight two more times before hanging up the gloves for good. Surprisingly, the Ukrainian heavyweight, Alex Pereira was one of the opponents he wanted to fight in a boxing match. 

Not to mention, Pereira seemed excited about the unusual pairing with Usyk as well. Before losing to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, the 37-year-old said, “I think for the future, what I have in hand, is either Dricus, Jon Jones, or even fighting Oleksandr Usyk in boxing.” He claimed the fight is possible but depends on the UFC. 

After this, TKO Boxing’s partnership with Turki Alalshikh to form the new boxing league headed by UFC head honcho, Dana White came to light. This made a fight between ‘Poatan’ and Usyk even more likely. Pereira said, “Absolutely, man. I was hyped; I was happy when I heard the news. Who knows? September, Saudi Arabia…”

Get the EssentiallySports Daily Newsletter. Stay ahead of the game with daily updates, exclusive stories, expert takes, and the biggest moments from the world's most popular sports.

However, with Usyk’s new opponent and date revealed, a fight against Pereira in just two months doesn’t seem possible. According to Mike Coppinger of ESPN, Oleksandr Usyk will fight Daniel Dubois in an undisputed rematch on July 12 at London’s Wembley Stadium. 

“Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois are in the process of finalizing a deal for a Ring Magazine and undisputed heavyweight championship rematch July 12 at London’s Wembley Stadium,” Coppinger wrote on X. Regardless, Pereira seems to have a tough challenge of his own ahead of him. 

Alex Pereira addresses claims from Joe Rogan about his last fight 

UFC president Dana White has confirmed that Pereira and Ankalaev will likely have a rematch. However, before that, Alex Pereira responded to Joe Rogan’s recent claims that he was badly compromised ahead of his UFC 313 loss to Magomed Ankalaev. Rogan suggested Pereira suffered a broken hand and a bout of norovirus leading into the fight, which ended Pereira’s light heavyweight title reign. 

In his first interview since the loss, Pereira addressed the rumors on The Ariel Helwani Show. “I’m not trying to take anything away from Ankalaev… I’m not this type of guy,” Pereira said. “My hand is fine, but there are a lot of things that happened, but I’m not using them as excuses.” He admitted he considered pulling out of the bout but ultimately chose to fight. “Yes, [I considered withdrawing]… I don’t regret it because I’ve motivated a lot of people… Many times it worked, but this time it wasn’t my moment. No regrets.”

That being said, it appears Alex Pereira won’t get the opportunity to fight Oleksandr Usyk anytime soon, but he seems to be laser-focused on avenging his last loss to Ankalaev. The good thing is that the pair can always duke it out after their respective fights. Would you like to see that happen?