In London in early December, Ukrainian Denis Berinchyk defeated France’s Ivan Mendy and is ready to fight for the world lightweight belt and Oleksandr Usyk is one step away from the historic battle for the absolute world champion title. True, for this he will have to defeat Tyson Fury.

The Sport.ua reporter spoke with Alexander Krasyuk, general manager of K2 Promotions, their organizer, about the close prospects of both boxers.

“I told Bob Arum to take care of his Cuban, because Berinchyk would definitely ‘kill’ him.”

– Denis Berinchyk boxed in London: how did you manage to get your fight there?

– I’ll explain step by step. Denis Berinchyk is Ukraine’s most popular domestic boxer. He fought a lot here, often accused of being the Brovary champion, as he spent most of his fights in the Terminal.

Just in case, I’ll tell you why this happens. In the absence of dates in the Sports Palace, the terminal is the most suitable arena in the Kyiv region. Unfortunately, the sports infrastructure in our country is not built to be able to choose between 3-5 halls. This is the Sports Palace and Terminal, which we opened with K2 for boxing shows, mixed martial arts, concerts and similar events. This was over 10 years ago.

And so, when we coordinate Denis Berinchyk’s show with the Sports Palace and he is unavailable, our location will be in Brovary. This is why Denys Berinchyk had so many fights in Brovary.

Then it went to a high level, achieved good results in the ratings. His next step is the fight for the world title. It is with great regret that events are taking place in Ukraine at the moment that certainly do not contribute to the development of boxing. And we understand that in the near future we will not have the opportunity to perform in Ukraine, especially in Brovary.

Time is running out, Denis Berinchyk is a middle-aged man, not a novice boxer and needs to take his chances. In the summer I had meetings with our partners Queensberry, Frank Warren and George Warren in London. We talked about the possibilities after the big fight of the Avengers, the Joshua fight, and we also touched on some Ukrainian boxers. Specifically, Denis Berinchyk. We agreed on joint promotion as we did with Matchroom and Oleksandr Usyk. Using the promotional machine available in the UK and at the same time presenting a charismatic fighter who will definitely go to the British public, thereby bringing Denis to the fight for the world title.

– After his victory over Mendy, Denis said that perhaps his next opponent will be Shakur Stevenson. How realistic is this?

– When we got to the arena, we went into the locker room, went through all the security procedures, talked to George Warren, who had just arrived. Bob Arum was with him. We hugged, talked, congratulated each other on the fact that we were in the organization of a posh event and the coolest heavyweight fight in boxing history. Then Bob Arum turned to me: “I know your boyfriend boxed today. If he wins, I’ll get him a Shakur Stevenson fight.” I said to him, “Bob, take care of the Cuban, because Denis will definitely kill him.” Bob laughed, it was an easy conversation overall.

I don’t think this should be the next fight right now, Berinchyk vs Shakur Stevenson, but no smoke without fire.

– How much did Denis earn commercially compared to his previous fights?

– He definitely won.

What about as a percentage?

– Do not count your chickens before they hatch. I can say one thing: the fight for the world title will bring the desired resources that any boxer who aspires to become a world champion strives for. I am sure that Denis has every opportunity and strength to achieve this result and reap the laurels and financial rewards that come with this title.

– Denis works well on his image in the media. It’s not just about bright entries into the ring, it’s also about self-positioning in general. Did it come into this state on its own, or did you push it somewhere on certain movements?

– The truth is, as my experience shows and I’ve been boxing for 18 years, that’s not how things work when you start pushing a boxer to build some kind of image. It should be, it shouldn’t be. The more naturally a boxer behaves and the closer his image is to his real inner world, the more the public will appreciate, understand and love him. This is not a theater, this is not a pop scene, this is a complex men’s sport. No matter how much a fighter weighs 60, 100 or 120 kilograms, a warrior’s heart beats in his chest. And the more honest and sincere he shows his heart to the public, the more his fans support him, whether he speaks their language or not.

Denis himself has always been the author of his outputs and his ideological inspirer. Yes, we always consult on how to implement them and how to position ourselves more accurately. But it all comes from him, and he is the author and final performer of these performances.

“The only reason the Usyk-Fury fight failed could be because Fury rejected him”

– One of the main issues in the boxing world throughout the year was the possible fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury. A simple, banal question: How would you rate the probability of this war happening today?

– Very high as of today. Probably the highest probability in the history of the fight for the undisputed world heavyweight title.

We have Usyk, we have K2, we have Usyk’s team, and all parties are 100% to continue this fight. We have Tyson Fury, the Tyson Fury team, Queensberry Promotions and Top Rank as committed to this fight as we are. We have almost no obstacles. We agreed on dates and even possible locations for this fight. Plans A, B, and C. And I hope, with God’s help, this struggle can become a reality.

– They say it will be February-March according to the conditions, right?

– Yes, March 4 is the most productive working date for us. We have offers from the Middle East, but nothing definitive yet. We are in talks with Qatar and Saudi Arabia. But such a duel can take the planet Mars, Jupiter or the Moon.

– If the fight against Fury suddenly fails, who will be Usyk’s next opponent? In this context, the names of Daniel Dubois and Filip Hrgovic appear in the press.

– Let’s try fortune-telling on coffee grounds. However, if the fight for the absolute doesn’t happen for any reason, and it’s most likely the rejection of Tyson Fury or some objective one that we can’t influence, then Daniel Dubois is next. That is, the next opponent to defend the title.

Although Filip Hrgovic has been on the agenda before, this situation was artificially created by Filip Hrgovic’s team, especially Eddie Hearn. They have such a situation that they did their job and took the risk, in an instant it will be possible to organize it. But we’ve joined forces and put the IBF to common sense and over the last 15 years Wladimir Klitschko, then Anthony Joshua etc. continued to operate. This order makes sense.

According to the rules of each of the organizations, mandatory protection must occur within 12 months. If a boxer is recognized as a WBA or WBO super champion, the special period is set at 18 months. But even with such deadlines, it is physically unrealistic to make three mandatory defenses during this time. For this reason, organizations have adopted a rotation system in which the mandatory defense order is followed.

Going back in history, Usyk was mandatory for the WBO, while Kubrat Pulev was mandatory for the IBF. Joshua then had to fight WBO mandatory opponent Oleksandr Usyk, after which Oleksandr Usyk got into a fight with Joshua in which he defended his belts. The WBA is next, as the WBO and IBF are already holding their defense. And now there is already a mandatory contender – Daniel Dubois.

“We are negotiating for the K2 fair to be held in European countries”

– The last three years have been difficult for Ukrainian sports: first we survived the coronavirus pandemic together with the whole world, now we are facing a war. How much has K2 suffered from these events?

– Since boxing is an international activity, the boxing industry is not limited to Ukraine, I will answer your question in two stages.

If we talk about promotion within Ukraine, it is a loss of 100 percent. Because we do not have the means to make a program, sell television rights, attract sponsors or sell tickets. Therefore, we have zeros in all respects. But as good assets have accumulated in previous years, the boxers we have keep us afloat: Oleksandr Usyk, Denis Berinchyk, Vasily Chebotar. Let’s not forget the very difficult Dmitry Mitrofanov, but in the near future we will try to organize his duel.

There is now the possibility of organizing wars in Europe. I am actively negotiating with some European states to organize such demonstrations in support of our country at the beginning of next year. I’ll post details as they come.

– Usyk and Berinchyk are experienced boxers, but after a while it will be problematic for them to box at the highest level, may God, of course, give them sports longevity. Which of today’s young boxers has the potential to become the best Ukrainian boxer in the future?

– Yes, you do not need to have seven openings on your forehead for this, just look at the Ukrainian team. Each of them has the potential to become world champions. We also planned to hold the next show in Kiev in April, Denis Berinchik was supposed to be the main fight in the Sports Palace, and only the battle made its own adjustments.

Let me tell you a secret: we had an agreement to start cooperation with Yaroslav Khartsyz. Now the war has changed these dates. We will continue our amateur work and return to our partnership in the near future.

Daniel VEREITIN