A couple of months ago, a showdown between Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder seemed imminent. However, Usyk has since moved on from those plans, and his team has now revealed why the fight was abandoned.
Usyk publicly stated his intentions to take on ‘The Bronze Bomber’, keen to add the name of a another long-standing world champion to his impressive résumé, even despite the decline of Wilder – who has won just twice since 2019.
However, Wilder is instead set to take on Derek Chisora next month, whilst the Ukrainian has moved onto an unexpected clash with kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven, that being the first fight of a three-bout plan that does not involve Wilder.
Speaking to Casinostugan, Usyk’s manager Sergey Lapin confirmed that plans were in place for his fighter to compete in the United States for the first time since his heavyweight debut, but that ‘longer than expected’ negotiations was the reason Wilder turned his attention to Chisora.
“The negotiations for ‘Wilder vs Usyk’ took too long – they chose Chisora instead. We did discuss the possibility of a fight with Wilder, and initially the plan was that the fight could take place in the United States.
“However, the negotiations took longer than expected, and Wilder eventually reached an agreement to fight Chisora. This sometimes happens in boxing — while negotiations are ongoing, different opportunities appear.”
Wilder-Chisora takes place on Saturday, April 4, at the O2 Arena, whilst Usyk-Verhoeven heads to The Pyramids of Giza on Saturday, May 23, with the WBC heavyweight crown at stake.
