By Sam Volz: Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk says he wants to face Deontay ‘Bronze Bomber’ Wilder next, possibly in the United States.
Usyk reportedly plans to attend Wilder’s fight next month against Robert Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs) on October 15 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, according to RingTV.
With Tyson Fury busy likely fighting Anthony Joshua on Dec. 3, Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) needs an opponent to keep him busy.
Usyk can’t afford to wait for Fury to fight Joshua and then face him because there’s a chance those two will meet in a rematch. If that happens, Usyk won’t get a chance to fight Fury until the end of 2023 if he’s still the WBC champion and then.
“Deontay Wilder,” Oleksandr Usyk told RingTV when asked who he wants to fight next. “Wilder is a dangerous fighter, and that fight would probably be in the United States.”
It will be interesting to see if Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) agrees to challenge Usyk next if he gets past Helenius, as he has the potential for a lucrative fight against Joshua in 2023. Also, there is an option to face Andy Ruiz. Jr. in a WBC title eliminator.
Usyk would like a smaller version of Fury, and I’m not sure Wilder wants anything to do with that type of fighter at this point in his career.
“We’ve been real for years and years. If you don’t believe Anthony Joshua is real with the opponents he faces, you have to be dumb,” Eddie Hearn told iFL TV when told that Wilder doesn’t believe Joshua is real and that he was a manufactured heavyweight.
Didn’t he say we have to light a joint and deal or something? One shot of that, and I think I’ll be on my back. It would be quite fun.
I would be happy to discuss with [Deontay’s co-manager] shell [Finkel]. I have a lot of money for Deontay Wilder in the Middle East to fight several different opponents, including Dillian Whyte as well.
“I’m happy to have those conversations with those guys at any time. After the Usyk loss, I felt like Wilder-AJ would be a fight we would definitely see in 2023, but right now, we’re focused on Tyson Fury to see if we can get over the line,” Hearn said.
