Boxing world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has declared he will enter talks to potentially fight Deontay Wilder once he has defeated WBC champion Tyson Fury. Usyk and the Gypsy King have been linked to fight for months to determine the undisputed heavyweight champion.
The Englishman has been mooted to meet with Usyk since the Ukrainian defeated Joshua at the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia to retain 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’.
However, Wilder has now thrown his hat into the championship ring. The Bronze Bomber, along with co-manager Shelly Finkel, have publicly voiced their intent in a fight with Usyk after Wilder sensationally knocked out Robert Helenius in the first round earlier this month. Usyk expressed an interest in fighting Wilder after initial talks with Fury fell through but failed to turn up ringside to watch Wilder’s knockout of Helenius despite claiming he would be there.
Wilder – whose two defeats and sole draw all came against Tyson Fury in a epic trilogy – hopes Usyk will follow through on previous assertions the two would clash. The five-belt champion however intends to meet Fury next in the early part of 2023 if an agreement can be reached.
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