Usyk's path to global dominance goes through Gatton

Oleksandr Usyk has earned a tongue-in-cheek invite to resume his cruiserweight career in Gatton after the boxing great's plan to return to the division set him on a path for David Nyika.

The Ukrainian (25-0) unified the cruiserweight division before wiping the floor of his heavyweight rivals, beating Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois twice in the last five years.

The 39-year-old now wants to return to the cruiserweight ranks and sweep the belts again in one final act, with the vacant IBF title his first target before a date with current WBO and WBA champion David Benavidez (32-0).

Benavidez will fight Michal Cieslak for the WBC belt next month.

New Zealand Olympian David Nyika, based in the rural Queensland town of Gatton under trainer Noel Thornberry, is the IBF's number one-ranked fighter.

A potential title fight has been put on hold until the organisation's legal dispute with fellow Queensland-based champion Jai Opetaia is resolved.

Opetaia, who brutally knocked out Nyika to retain the IBF and The Ring belts in January last year, had his IBF status stripped when he debuted for rebel league Zuffa Boxing this year.

Usyk's plans have put a spanner in the works for Opetaia, who is eyeing off a heavyweight cameo against Deontay Wilder next month before a potential unification clash with Benavidez next May.

Opetaia could still win back his IBF strap in the courtroom and earn a date with Usyk he has coveted since they competed at the 2012 London Olympics when the Australian was barely 17.

But even then Nyika remains the mandatory opponent and would command step-aside money for the Opetaia-Usyk fight to proceed.

"We'd have to sit down and come to an agreement, but we'd enforce his mandatory for sure if we were to stand aside," Thornberry told AAP on Monday.

Thornberry trained and managed former world champion contender Alex Leapai out of his Gatton boxing shed and has regularly held fight nights at the town's Shire Hall.

With Saudi powerbroker Turki Alalshikh backing Usyk, Thornberry joked that he could pencil in an upgrade to the venue as part of the fight contract.

"I've reached out to Usyk's management, they know we're certainly interested," Thornberry said.

"I'm sure they see David as a good way back in, but it's a great opportunity for David and he said he'd take it in a heartbeat.

"And, historically, no-one goes well when they come back in weight."

Oscar De Le Hoya lost to Manny Pacquiao, who went up two classes, when he dropped down in weight for their 2008 clash, while Antonio Tarver got the better of Roy Jones Jnr in a three-fight saga between 2003–2005.

Usyk showed off his slimmed-down physique at Canelo Alvarez's Saudi Arabia win on the weekend, but Thornberry reckons the jury is out.

"They come back down and go, 'Oh shit, this is a different algorithm to what I was accustomed to,'" he said.