Oleksandr Usyk has vowed to make waves in the football world once he has finished with his crusade in the ring.
The Ukrainian beat Tyson Fury again in December to retain his heavyweight titles and cement his name among the greatest in boxing history.
It is unclear how long he intends to stay in the sport but he told promoter Frank Warren that he wishes to fight the winner of Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker.
That pair meet on February 22 for Dubois’ IBF title, and the victorious from that bout would challenge Usyk for his WBA, WBC, and WBO crowns.
Even though he is now 38, The Cat is not limiting his sporting ambitions to just boxing.
‘[I will be a] football player,’ Usyk told the Ring Podcast when asked about his plans after boxing.
Oleksandr Usyk has vowed to play football professionally after retiring from boxing – and to score against Dynao Kyiv
It comes after he beat Tyson Fury for the second time in December and retained his three titles
He made his debut for Ukrainian outfit Polissya in 2022 and signed a one-year contract in 2023, though he appears to still be on the club’s books
‘I am a professional player. I have a contract with the Ukrainian team, Polissya.
‘[They play in the] highest league, Polissya. It is a Ukrainian team.
‘We are now in first place. Do you know the Ukrainian team, Shakhtar Donetsk? Today Polissya won [against them].
‘Listen, I support for a long time Dynamo Kyiv because the first time I went to the professional stadium [with my dad].
‘It is a club with a lot of history but Polissya gave me the opportunity and I signed a contract.
‘But in the future, I will score a goal [against Dynamo].’
Usyk has already made his debut for Polissya. In 2022 he came on as a substitute in a friendly while the club were in Ukraine’s second division.
He even had a chance to score, spurning a close-range chance just 39 seconds after entering the field of play as he lunged for the ball and missed it completely.
Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk made his footballing debut for Ukrainian second-tier side FC Polissya and fluffed a golden chance to score just seconds later 😬 pic.twitter.com/ugV07zpIho
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) February 4, 2022
The world heavyweight boxing champion came on in the 77th minute of a friendly
He had a great chance to score less than a minute after coming on but missed the ball entirely
Heavyweight champion Usyk pictured with Polissya during their 2022 winter training camp
In 2023 he signed a one-year professional contract wit the club, who are now in the Ukrainian top flight.
Usyk is listed on the club’s website as an attacker, with his description reading: ‘The world boxing champion is a long-time friend of the club and has already played for the team in the Winter Cup friendly tournament.
‘Oleksandr may appear in an official match for the Wolves this season.’
However, his claim that they are top of the Ukrainian Premier League is untrue. Polissya sit fifth after 17 games, 16 points behind pacesetter Dynamo Kyiv.