By Alexey Sukachev

WBC cruiserweight champion Grigory Drozd (40-1, 28 KOs) is not afraid of any challenges, even if they come from fighters he deeply respects. Drozd gave his opinion on a possible collision with red hot Ukrainian prospect Olexander Usyk (7-0, 7 KOs) earlier this week.

“Usyk is a great boxer. A possible fight with him will draw huge interest from both Russian and Ukrainian fight fans, from aficionados worldwide”, said TBRB #4 Drozd to Boxing Planet. “If he is ready (to fight me), then why not? Specifically given the fact that he can soon become a mandatory challenger to my title”.

WBO #2 Usyk is also rated #15 by the WBC. He will fight next on Aug. 29 in Kiev, Ukraine, looking to continue his South African “road of mayhem” against WBO #15 Johnny Muller (19-4-2, 13 KOs), who comes off the biggest win of his career, a very controversial split decision over highly ranked Pole Mateusz Masternak, whose first defeat (TKO 11 loss in October 2013) was ironically against… Drozd.

2012 London Olympics heavyweight gold medalist has stopped two other fighters from the RSA – Daniel Bruwer and Danie Venter – both in 2014. Usyk’s WBO I/C 200lb title will be at risk versus Muller. With a clash between WBO #1 rated cruiserweight Krzysztof Glowacki and reigning WBO champion Marko Huck coming this month, Usyk, 29, can find himself in position of being the next available challenger sooner than later.

Despite that and his #2 ranking, Usyk’s plans can be different, however.

“This fight is absolutely real”, said Olexander Krasyuk, a head of K2 Promotions in Ukraine, to TASS. “A majority of top cruiserweights are located in Europe, specifically in Russia and in Ukraine. Grisha Drozd is a great fighter and he is also a champion of the world, so he is definitely in our scope because Olexander is interested in becoming the next great champion. And WBO route to title isn’t a defining one for him”.

Drozd, 35, acquired his green belt in September 2014, beating long-time WBC champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk with a one-sided unanimous decision. He defended it this May on a TKO against Wlodarczyk’s compatriot Lukasz Janik. He is expected to defend next this fall against his mandatory challenger Ilunga Makabu.