Deontay Wilderr‘s stance on a potential heavyweight battle with Oleksandr Usyk has been made perfectly clear.
Usyk vacated his WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles last week, but insisted that he will have one more fight before hanging up his gloves.
It appears that the frontrunner for that clash is former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder, with the pair again linked to each other after rumblings of a bout late last year.
Usyk’s team director Sergey Lapin has confirmed those rumours, telling BBC Sport that the Ukrainian envisages Wilder being his final opponent, and that talks are underway with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing to stage the bout.
“Usyk has already stated that he sees Deontay Wilder as the opponent for his last dance. It is a match-up with significant potential from a sporting, media and international perspective.
“We are in direct discussions with Zuffa Boxing at the highest level. At this stage, no agreements have been signed. Zuffa Boxing is being considered as one of the potential partners for a major international event.
“The final structure will be determined based on what is in the best interests of the fight, the fighters, and the overall scale of the project.”
Wilder’s manager Shelly Finkel has now responded, confirming to BBC Sport that they are ready and willing to accept the fight.
“If Deontay is offered a fight with Usyk, he would take it.”
Wilder lost four out of five fights between 2020 and 2024, but did earn a split decision win against Derek Chisora back in April, so a clash against Usyk would still likely be of huge interest to fans.
