Oleksandr Usyk expresses desire to fight Deontay Wilder who would be open to world title clash in 2026
Oleksandr Usyk wants to defend his world heavyweight titles against Deontay Wilder, who has welcomed a fight against the unified world champion.
The Ukrainian has broken his silence about his next career move, confirming that he wants to put his WBC, WBA and IBF belts on the line against Wilder.
Usyk has been absent from the ring since his stoppage of Daniel Dubois in their July rematch at Wembley Stadium, but the two-time undisputed world heavyweight champion is now targeting the American, who had a lengthy reign as the WBC champion.
Speaking at the WBC convention in Thailand, Usyk told Boxing King Media: “I want to fight Deontay Wilder. I think it’s interesting.
Wilder is a former WBC heavyweight champion
“This is a world champion guy, this is a very famous guy, this is a strong guy.
“He is one of the great heavyweights of the last 10 years.”
Wilder, who returned to the ring with a stoppage of Tyrrell Anthony Herndon in June, would be open to a fight against Usyk.
“Usyk is a great champion,” Wilder’s co-manager Shelly Finkel told Sky Sports.
“We have plans for next year and we’d like Oleksandr Usyk to be part of them.
“If we receive the right offer, we would be open to that fight.”
