Oleksandr Usyk-Tyrone Spong official for October 12th in Chicago

After disposing of Jeyson Minda last Sunday without issue, WBO #4 Tyrone Spong is officially set to welcome former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk to the heavyweight division on October 12th at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena.

No other fights have been revealed for the DAZN broadcast, though 19-year-old lightweight prospect Otha Jones III confirmed that he would appear on the undercard.

“The King of the Ring” wasn’t Usyk’s (16-0, 12 KO) first choice; the original plan was to fight Carlos Takam, but after an Usyk injury scuttled their planned May meeting, Takam signed with Joe DeGuardia and reportedly changed his purse demands. Andrey Fedosov was on the table as well, but Usyk declined it due to the ongoing political tension between their respective countries. It came down to Spong (14-0, 13 KO) and Bryant Jennings, with the former ultimately getting the call.

Spong has accomplished little in boxing, but was a highly decorated kickboxer before retiring in 2015, following in the footsteps Vitali Klitschko, Chris Algieri, and Sergey Lipinets, not to mention Muay Thai converts like Khaosai Galaxy and Samart Payarkoon. Still, Usyk figures to be a prohibitive favorite.