Usyk and Brook could be coming to the U.S. for next fights

Cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and junior middleweight Kell Brook could be fighting next in the United States, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

Eddie Hearn said May 18 is the target date, with Chicago as a possible location, for the southpaw Usyk (16-0, 12 KOs), 32, of Ukraine, to face contender Povetkin (34-2, 24 KOs), 39, of Russia, in a fight that would mark Usyk’s official entrance into the heavyweight division.

Hearn said he is also hoping to finalize the fight between Brook and Jesse Vargas — weight to be determined but between 147 and 150 pounds — for either late May or early June, at a location on the West Coast to be determined. Brook (38-2, 26 KOs), 32, of England, has won two fights in a row against lesser opponents since losing two fights in a row, by fifth-round knockout to Gennady Golovkin for the middleweight title in 2016 followed by an 11th-round knockout loss to Errol Spence that cost him his welterweight belt in May 207.