Oleksandr Usyk vs. Deontay Wilder - Who wins?

[joshj909]

True. Though I don't think Usyk will go near Kabayel. I reckon a near peak Usyk would outpoint him but those body shots look nasty. The risk-reward probably doesn't add up.

So you think he will duck Kabayel?

He will take the fight that pays most

Which means the fight that Turki wants to see, not the best fight or the most worthy opponent.

[mickey1975]

True. Though I don't think Usyk will go near Kabayel. I reckon a near peak Usyk would outpoint him but those body shots look nasty. The risk-reward probably doesn't add up.

So you think he will duck Kabayel?

He will take the fight that pays most

So it's not classed as ducking if he does what suits him best?

[Coco]

So you think he will duck Kabayel?

He will take the fight that pays most

So it's not classed as ducking if he does what suits him best?

Ducking is when you don't fight a fella because you think you will lose.

Picking the best money against one from a bunch of fighters who aren't on your level ain't ducking.

He may well end up fighting Itauma, who is probably the most risky out there, depends on what Turki wants

[joshj909]

I think the problem for Usyk is that there is no clear number 1 and they're not big names. I have no doubt in my mind that if Wardley and Kabayel fought, he'd face the winner. I'm not sure how is injury recovery has gone but he should just be getting as many of these fights in before he runs out of time.

[mickey1975]

He will take the fight that pays most

So it's not classed as ducking if he does what suits him best?

Ducking is when you don't fight a fella because you think you will lose.

Picking the best money against one from a bunch of fighters who aren't on your level ain't ducking.

He may well end up fighting Itauma, who is probably the most risky out there, depends on what Turki wants

I agree. Choosing the best option for your career isn't ducking.

[MPW]

So it's not classed as ducking if he does what suits him best?

Ducking is when you don't fight a fella because you think you will lose.

Picking the best money against one from a bunch of fighters who aren't on your level ain't ducking.

He may well end up fighting Itauma, who is probably the most risky out there, depends on what Turki wants

I agree. Choosing the best option for your career isn't ducking.

So, Canelo not fighting Benavidez because it wasn't the best option for his career wasn't a duck?

I understand where I think you're coming from. Usyk is in the twilight of a stellar career without a single universally-accepted top challenger to fight, so he should take on the boxer that makes the most sense - or dollars and cents - to him. His legacy is not in dispute. On the other hand, if there was a definitive number one contender and he chose not to fight him, that would be a duck to me.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Kilburn]

Usyk surely doesn’t have too many big nights left, why waste one of them with this sort of opponent.

Who would improve his legacy?

I wasn’t thinking legacy particularly, more a stand alone achievement. The 40 year old Wilder’s record over the last 5 years looks pretty miserable. There must be a dozen guys now that would beat him.

But if Wilder ticks the boxes, so be it.

[margaret thatcher]

for several years wilder, aj, and fury were the big 3 i n the division

we had mick saying wilder was the 2nd best of his generation and a future hall of famer

maybe usyk still buys into that hype

[KiwiRider]

Ducking is when you don't fight a fella because you think you will lose.

Picking the best money against one from a bunch of fighters who aren't on your level ain't ducking.

He may well end up fighting Itauma, who is probably the most risky out there, depends on what Turki wants

I agree. Choosing the best option for your career isn't ducking.

So, Canelo not fighting Benavidez because it wasn't the best option for his career wasn't a duck?

I understand where I think you're coming from. Usyk is in the twilight of a stellar career without a single universally-accepted top challenger to fight, so he should take on the boxer that makes the most sense - or dollars and cents - to him. His legacy is not in dispute. On the other hand, if there was a definitive number one contender and he chose not to fight him, that would be a duck to me.

Like Kabayel?
Mandatory challenger.
Or Parker, now Wardley?
Mandatory challenger.

[margaret thatcher]

well i think its a meh fight but, having already beat much bigger names, i really doubt 15-20 years from now people will say, 'but we never got the big one vs parker/wardley/kabayel'

hes almost 39 too, most guys are already done at the top by then and people already called for him to retire, this just is more of a bonus phase of his career tbh.

[mickey1975]

for several years wilder, aj, and fury were the big 3 i n the division

we had mick saying wilder was the 2nd best of his generation and a future hall of famer

maybe usyk still buys into that hype

I think 3 of the big 4 were desperate to fight each other. It looks like one wasn't willing to play ball...

[Boxerbeetle]

well i think its a meh fight but, having already beat much bigger names, i really doubt 15-20 years from now people will say, 'but we never got the big one vs parker/wardley/kabayel'

hes almost 39 too, most guys are already done at the top by then and people already called for him to retire, this just is more of a bonus phase of his career tbh.

Yeah it’s a bit like Calzaghe taking a big final payday against RJJ rather than a tougher fight against Froch or Dawson. Not ideal for a neutral fan but definitely makes sense from a career and ‘legacy’ perspective when looking at Usyk’s record in 20 years time and a lot of people will have forgotten how shot Wilder is.

[stujones]

Maybe also Usyk has a dream of headlining at a big US venue? Or he just once an easy one to end his career on.

Not a great fight really, but I think Usyk is entitled to one easy one for a pretty big reward.

[Kilburn]

Such is Usyk’s ability though, he hasn’t exactly been going to hell and back to take the scalps that he has.

Usyk v Wilder could just end up being a very sad spectacle.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Usyk has earned a gimme, but wilder looks pretty done, his punch resistance looks shot

[stujones]

Such is Usyk’s ability though, he hasn’t exactly been going to hell and back to take the scalps that he has.

Usyk v Wilder could just end up being a very sad spectacle.

Yes, I cannot see anything other than a Usyk dominant win. Obviously though one possible factor is that Parker and Zhang are big lumps (Parker is NOW anyway) so the ability to bully Wilder comes a bit more natural to them and Usyk does stay in punching range.

Fully expect Usyk high punch output to push Wilder back and the trigger shy Wilder take a sustained beating before being stopped in the mid rounds (similar to Dubios II actually) but there will be that small part of me that will be saying "Wilder is dangerous until his is stopped".

[Ruthless-RKO]

Oleksandr Usyk vs. Deontay Wilder negotiations are underway

Oleksandr Usyk surprised the boxing world earlier this month by stating that he wants to square off against Deontay Wilder.

The sentiment wasn’t simply a pipedream shared in passing. It turns out there was serious intent with the message.

Wilder said Thursday that the wheels are in motion to make the matchup a reality.

“The fight is in negotiations,” Wilder told Seconds Out. “My heart is pumping with joy, and I am excited. I think it's definitely going to happen. The best thing about it is that we are in negotiations. It's not just talk. These are real conversations that we are having with our teams. I am looking forward to it.”

Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs), The Ring, IBF, WBA and WBC champion, is running out of contemporaries to compete against after beating Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois twice each over the last four years.

In Wilder, Usyk is enticed by the idea of facing a power-punching American and former long-reigning heavyweight titleholder who captured global attention during his heated rivalry against Fury from 2018-21.

But Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs) is 2-4 in his last six fights since 2020, with the losses coming against Fury (TKO 7, KO 11), Joseph Parker (UD 12) and Zhilei Zhang (TKO 5). Wilder overcame injuries and mental health problems and returned in June to score a bounce-back seventh-round stoppage against Tyrrell Herndon.

Usyk, who turns 39 in January, vacated his WBO title last month because he believed a bout against Fabio Wardley wouldn't be good business.

There aren’t many greener pastures in the rest of the division for Usyk to pursue, outside of Wilder. Agit Kabayel is fighting for the WBC interim title in January, but his profile is similar to Wardley’s. Zhang, Parker and Martin Bakole are coming off losses and still need to work their way back up the ladder. And then there is 20-year-old phenom Moses Itauma, who’s still in the process of earning his stripes as a top-flight contender.

“I want to definitely continue fighting next year. I will continue boxing. I want to fight Deontay Wilder,” Usyk told Boxing King Media last week. “For me, I think it is very interesting. [Wilder] is a world champion guy, a very famous guy, this is a strong guy, and he is one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of the last 10 years.”

Usyk has previously stated that he’d like to fight in the United States again before calling it a career. The Ukrainian hasn’t fought on American soil since 2019 and has just three fights stateside since turning pro in 2012 following a gold medal run in the Olympics.

An attractive venue for Usyk-Wilder could be Madison Square Garden in New York. The occasion would allow Usyk to face the best American heavyweight fighter of the era, all while catering to a large Ukrainian-American population, much like Vasiliy Lomachenko did six times at MSG and MSG Theater.

“I know how boxing is, the business of it,” said Wilder. “I know you can have something one minute and the next minute you have nothing. But with this right here [in fighting Usyk], I think it's going to be solid. It's going to be a hell of a fight to watch.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

[SeanBrennan]

I know he won’t, but could you imagine if Wilder still has that power and landed it vs Usyk? Would be the most unlikely comeback ever.

Imagine the odds on it too.

[jamesmcdonnell]

I know he won’t, but could you imagine if Wilder still has that power and landed it vs Usyk? Would be the most unlikely comeback ever.

Imagine the odds on it too.

Doubt the odds would be that great, Wilder is a much vaunted puncher, so the opening odds won't be all that high.

[SeanBrennan]

I know he won’t, but could you imagine if Wilder still has that power and landed it vs Usyk? Would be the most unlikely comeback ever.

Imagine the odds on it too.

Doubt the odds would be that great, Wilder is a much vaunted puncher, so the opening odds won't be all that high.

[Taansend]

If it happens I want Wilder to smash him. Just to mess with the universe & all that

[jamesmcdonnell]

I know he won’t, but could you imagine if Wilder still has that power and landed it vs Usyk? Would be the most unlikely comeback ever.

Imagine the odds on it too.

Doubt the odds would be that great, Wilder is a much vaunted puncher, so the opening odds won't be all that high.

The caveat being I am no oddsmaker.