Unified heavyweight world champion, Oleksandr Usyk, has set his sights on former WBC champion, Deontay Wilder, naming the American puncher as his preferred opponent for his next bout.
Usyk, 38, cemented his legacy in July when he stopped Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium, becoming a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion.
Shortly after, he vacated the WBO title, resulting in Britain’s Fabio Wardley being elevated from interim to full champion.
BBC Sport on Tuesday quoted the world champion as saying, “I continue fighting next year. I want to fight Deontay Wilder. I think it’s interesting.”Wilder, a former WBC world champion and once the division’s most feared puncher, has struggled since his trilogy with Tyson Fury. The American’s stock plummeted after back-to-back stoppage defeats by Joseph Parker in 2023 and Zhilei Zhang in 2024.
After more than a year out, Wilder, 40, returned in June with a low-key seventh-round stoppage of little-known Tyrrell Anthony Herndon.
Despite that decline, Usyk still views ‘The Bronze Bomber’ as a marquee name.
“He is a world champion guy. A very famous and strong guy. One of the great heavyweights of the last 10 years. I spoke with my team and said he is the first option.”
Usyk, who has twice beaten Fury, as well as Dubois and Anthony Joshua, has previously said he plans to fight for only two more years, aiming to return to the ring through 2026.
The Olympic gold medallist became undisputed champion at cruiserweight before moving up to heavyweight, where he outpointed Fury to become boxing’s first undisputed champion in 25 years.
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