Oleksandr Usyk wants to face either Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder in his next bout after the Ukrainian defeated Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia last month. Usyk retained his world titles and is eyeing either a unification clash with Fury or a headline battle against the hard-hitting and extravagant Wilder.
Usyk defeated Joshua at the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia, with the Ukrainian retaining his WBA (Super), WBO, IBO and IBF world titles in front of 30,000 fans. He also took home the Ring Magazine title after it was vacated by Fury following his sudden retirement.
In a clash billed as the Rage on the Red Sea, Joshua showed aggressiveness but could not match the strategic wiliness of Usyk, who is unbeaten in his 20 professional contests. Two judges scored the fight 115-113 and 116-112 to Usyk, while the third gave it to Joshua 115-113.
After he defeated Anthony Joshua in their anticipated rematch, Usyk appeared to be in line for a blockbuster contest against Fury after the Brit confirmed he was ‘un-retiring’ to attempt to unify the heavyweight division. The 35-year-old is set to hold onto his WBC belt after he relinquished the Ring Magazine title, which Usyk claimed with his win last weekend.
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“I could still box with Fury or with Wilder, but that’s where my interest ends.”
No negotiations have taken place between Fury and Usyk’s teams, although both sides are certainly keen to reach a deal. Speaking to Sky Sports, the Ukrainian said: “He wants to fight against me. He wants people to talk about him.
“He hasn’t retired yet, it’s just a game – ‘I’m leaving boxing’, ‘I’m coming back’. He still wants to earn money.”
However, no negotiations have taken place between Fury and Usyk’s teams although both sides are keen to reach a deal.