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It will be disappointing if this is Usyk’s only fight in 2026, but if he fights Agit, or a Fabio/Moses winner later in the year I’m good with Usyk v Wilder at MSG.

As long as Deontay isn't sacrificed and made to look a fool of

He will look foolish if this goes ahead. If you are a fan of Wilder, I wouldn't go into this expecting him to look good here. You will be dissapointed.

‘I think it’s real’: Deontay Wilder talks potential for Oleksandr Usyk fight

Deontay Wilder believes Oleksandr Usyk really does want to fight him.



Former heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder say down for an interview and gave his thoughts on Oleksandr Usyk calling him out for a fight, saying that his promoter has been contacted and he believes there’s genuine interest from Usyk’s camp. Wilder also mentioned that now might be the right time for him to finally face Derek Chisora. Check out some excerpts from Wilder below.

Wilder on negotiations for Usyk fight
“This fight come about with one promoter contacting the other, contacting mine and we got the call. The saying is ‘you have to stay ready so you don’t have to get ready’ because in boxing, especially heavyweight boxing, you just never know when your card will be pulled, and mine was pulled.

“Now the matter is if it’s real or not, that’s the situation. In my heart of hearts, I think it’s real…sometimes it can also be publicity stunts and stuff. Not saying that he needs it or whatever, I’m just saying in the business of boxing certain things happen.”

“I had got derailed for many years because mentally, because of betrayal and a lot of things going on outside of the ring…As a fighter you do go through a lot of things…”

On any interest in a fight with Derek Chisora
“I’m a person of a believer of time…Right now it’s looking like it could be the perfect time for it. Derek is still dangerous, I think he’s talking about retiring, and he say he wants to fight me before he retires as well. So I could be his retirement fight.”

Deontay Wilder has eye on Murat Gassiev even as he negotiates with Oleksandr Usyk

Deontay Wilder has said that he's in negotiations with unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk for a title fight next year.

The former beltholder isn't averse to talking about other potential opponents, however. That includes Murat Gassiev.

The former cruiserweight champ from Russia stopped Kubrat Pulev in six rounds to win the WBA's secondary "regular" title on December 12 in Dubai. (Usyk holds the full WBA title.)

Among those in attendance was Wilder, who said he wouldn’t mind getting in the ring with Gassiev.

“Congratulations to Gassiev,” Wilder told Boxing Social. “I think that would be an amazing fight.”

Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs) has seen better days. His recent seventh-round knockout of Tyrrell Anthony Herndon on June 27 was desperately needed. Prior to that, he came out on the losing end in four of his last five, falling to the Tyson Fury (twice), Joseph Parker, and Zhilei Zhang.

Wilder, 40, is a long way away from title contention, at least according to the sanctioning bodies. Only the WBC has him ranked in their top 15, pegging him at No. 13.

For now, Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs) will wait and see how things play out. In the meantime, he had nothing but good things to say about Gassiev’s performance.

“That was a beautiful left hook,” Wilder said of the KO punch. “It was very sneaky.”

I do think Usyk should reconsider targeting Wilder. There are some better fights for the both of them and it's quite obvious how this would go. Wilder Vs Gassiev is a better fight but Wilder Vs Chisora, Wardley, Joshua, Ruiz, Torrez and several others are much more interesting. Then we know the sort of opponents Usyk should instead be looking at.

There are only 3 fights for Usyk that interest me:-

Wardley - Easy fight for Usyk, but Fabio does bring it and Usyk will get his belt back.

Kabayel - Following the demise of Parker as a contender, Kabayel is the best contender out there and I think he's being unjustly overlooked.

Opetaia - Jai moves up to challenge for the heavyweight title. The two best cruisers of the last 15 years meeting in a generational battle for the heavyweight title. Potential torch passing fight, or Usyk serving notice that Opetaia doesn't belong at heavy.

Syntax Error wrote: ↑22 Dec 2025, 07:22 There are only 3 fights for Usyk that interest me:-

Wardley - Easy fight for Usyk, but Fabio does bring it and Usyk will get his belt back.

Kabayel - Following the demise of Parker as a contender, Kabayel is the best contender out there and I think he's being unjustly overlooked.

Opetaia - Jai moves up to challenge for the heavyweight title. The two best cruisers of the last 15 years meeting in a generational battle for the heavyweight title. Potential torch passing fight, or Usyk serving notice that Opetaia doesn't belong at heavy.

Of those, I would pick Kabayel for Usyk. Wardley should defend his belt and prove his last fights have not been a fluke because there are some very big fights out there for him. With a win, either he gets a big KO against a known name and building his own hype or proves he's deservedly the next top contender. Opetaia needs to prove he's the best at Cruiserweight by becoming undisputed then move up. Kabayel has demolished two top contenders and looked good doing it. Realistically, if he had picked a better opponent than Knyba in his next fight he would be making himself impossible to overlook.

Opetaia needs to forget about Cruiserweight, move up to Heavyweight and never look back.

Zurdo is signed to fight David Benavidez, and the winner ain't gonna fight him. I doubt he gets that Noel Mikhaelian in the ring either.

The big fights for Opetaia are at Heavyweight. If he keeps waiting for his ship to come in at Cruiserweight, he'll wait his whole career away.

Wardley could fight any number of guys, and I'd be excited to see it. Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker 2...he's got options all over.

For Kabayel, he's got a fight in January I think right? Hopefully he gets in the picture somewhere, and gets his deserved shot. I'll be honest though, I don't look for Kabayel to get a crack at anyone's title in 2026. If nothing else though, he should set his sights on getting 3 or 4 wins, and firmly stamping himself as the top contender.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑23 Dec 2025, 17:50 Opetaia needs to forget about Cruiserweight, move up to Heavyweight and never look back.

Zurdo is signed to fight David Benavidez, and the winner ain't gonna fight him. I doubt he gets that Noel Mikhaelian in the ring either.

The big fights for Opetaia are at Heavyweight. If he keeps waiting for his ship to come in at Cruiserweight, he'll wait his whole career away.

Wardley could fight any number of guys, and I'd be excited to see it. Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker 2...he's got options all over.

For Kabayel, he's got a fight in January I think right? Hopefully he gets in the picture somewhere, and gets his deserved shot. I'll be honest though, I don't look for Kabayel to get a crack at anyone's title in 2026. If nothing else though, he should set his sights on getting 3 or 4 wins, and firmly stamping himself as the top contender.

Kinda agree. At this point mando done I think you still chase cruiser weight unifications, but while simulating making heavyweight offers. Fish from both ponds

Deontay Wilder: Oleksandr Usyk wants me because he thinks I’ve declined

Deontay Wilder thinks Oleksandr Usyk has only recently called him out because the Ukrainian believes Wilder is no longer the fighter he once was.

Wilder, 40, defeated Tyrell Herndon in Wichita, Kansas, in the summer, marking his first win in three years after losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.

Wilder told Boxing Scene the queue to face him was shorter when he was knocking everyone out.

“When I was at the top and stuff, nobody, they didn't talk that way [challenging him],” Wilder said. “You understand me? It was a different language, because I still got that power right here. But they feel because of my derailing of certain situations and me mentally getting myself back together, they feel like, ‘Oh, now we can beat him. Let's give him an opportunity.’ Because I know for sure the more you lose, the more opportunities you get than when you winning. I know that for a fact. You get more opportunity losing than you winning because people feel like they can beat you.”

Usyk might also want Wilder because it would allow him to have a big fight in the United States. Having already beaten Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua twice each, beating Wilder would add the final big name of the heavyweight era to Usyk’s resume.

Wilder understands that reasoning, too.

“Now, you are right about finishing out the era and stuff because that’s a great thing. I would want to do that as well,” Wilder added.

Wilder also knows that, stylistically, they are poles apart as fighters.

Usyk is a cultured southpaw, an Olympic gold medallist, while Wilder packs one of the great heavyweight punches of all time – that straight right hand – but is a comparatively crude slugger.

“I think he’s a very skilful fighter,” Wilder admitted. “Even when I first was introduced to him and stuff like that, I always thought Usyk had nice skills.”

Then, addressing criticisms of his style, Wilder added: “It's crazy how people's mindset is.

“One minute when you're great and doing your thing, ‘Oh, he's wild, he's ready, he don't know how to box.’ Now, when they feel like you're gone and they want you back, ‘We want the old Wilder back.’ I'm like, ‘Y'all not really like him or something like that? You really want him back or you want the new one? Which one you want?’

“But it's all good, man. You can't please all the people all the time. You never can. You got to have a sense of humor, especially when you're in the business of boxing. You just have to. You have to have tough skin as well. And that I have. I have it all, and I'm looking forward to whatever God has for me. It's going to be big for me, and people are about to be shocked. When Ali said he shook the world, he shocked the world. I'm going to shock it, and I'm going to shock it as well.”

Oleksandr Usyk vs Deontay Wilder target date and venue revealed as manager gives update

Oleksandr Usyk vs Deontay Wilder is expected to land in late April or May in the US according to the former's manager.

Usyk astonishingly declared that he would be vacating his WBO world title ending Fabio Wardley's hopes of securing a showdown.

And he then revealed that he would instead be pursuing a bout with American superstar Wilder in the new year.

The 'Bronze Bomber' revealed to talkSPORT that the huge heavyweight showdown is already being lined up with official negotiations underway.

And now in a fresh update on the shock bout, Usyk's manager Egis Klimas insisted the fight is now very likely to happen.

He told The National: "It’s very likely [we will see Usyk face Wilder.

"Because right now we're working on it, and we're working on some multi-fight agreement for Oleksandr.

“As soon as we're going to confirm that, we're going to jump in. And some talks already are going on with the team of Wilder.

"We're looking at Las Vegas or Los Angeles, and dates are the end of April, beginning of May.

“Wilder is one of the best names [that] Oleksandr didn't face yet. He's still in good shape, and he's still a fighter, so he's interesting. And as well, it's the United States.”

It is clear that Usyk is hoping to crack the US market, having not fought stateside since his 2019 win over Chazz Witherspoon.

Despite Wilder's recent form which has seen him take one win since 2023, the 'Bronze Bomber' is still a huge commercial draw.

- Re-Despite Wilder's recent form which has seen him take one win since 2023, the 'Bronze Bomber' is still a huge commercial draw.

Usyk Mgr blowing huge rectal smokescreen until Usyk makes his last one and done fight.

I like the Wardley, currently BoxRed #2 as the only decent fight left. I'd have preferred Parker who got short changed vs by the ref in a good fight...

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑29 Dec 2025, 07:32 "Because right now we're working on it, and we're working on some multi-fight agreement for Oleksandr.

I like Usyk, but just retire after that.
He gonna be 39 next month. It's time to hang them up and enjoy life, otherwise a younger fighter gonna beat him one day.

Oleksandr Usyk team “looking at Vegas, Los Angeles” for Wilder clash next spring

The heavyweight championship could make its way back to U.S. soil for the first time in nearly five years.

Fittingly, the event would include the last American heavyweight to challenge for that very crown.

Egis Klimas, the career-long manager for two-division and unified heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk, informed Dubai-based publication The National that a targeted clash with Deontay Wilder could take place – if finalized – on the U.S. West Coast in late April or early May.

Talks are ongoing for the already approved voluntary defense, though the blessing of the sanctioning bodies was the least of anyone’s worries. A number of details remain in need of resolution, though none of which figure to serve as a roadblock.

One key item is the promoter for the event. Klimas would not tip his hand on the group(s) with whom he is presently negotiating, other than to reveal that it won’t involve Riyadh Season.

“No, actually, that's a different group from the United States,” Klimas told The National during the start of the World Sports Summit in Dubai. “I cannot say that he's not going to be fighting in the Riyadh Season [in the future]. He might be fighting in the Riyadh Season, but as far as right now, we don't have any offers or anything like that from them.”

Usyk linked up with Riyadh Season and Turki Alalshikh for his two-fight set with Tyson Fury.

Their first meeting marked the first undisputed heavyweight championship in 25 years, won by Usyk, 24-0 (15 KOs) via split decision last May 18 in Riyadh. They returned to the Saudi capital for their rematch last December 21, where Usyk claimed a more convincing decision victory.

Fury immediately announced his retirement, though – true to form – has strongly hinted a comeback.

Usyk has fought just once since then. It came against London’s Daniel Dubois, whom he stopped in the 5th round of their July 19 rematch at Wembley Stadium to become two-time undisputed heavyweight champion. Riyadh Season was not directly involved in the event but was the major sponsor as is the case for all Queensberry Promotions events.

The idea of a showdown with Wilder in Vegas or L.A. would put Usyk in the states for the first time since October 2019, fittingly in his heavyweight debut. The former undisputed cruiserweight champion moved up in weight and knocked out late sub Chazz Witherspoon in the 7th round of a DAZN headliner in Chicago, Illinois.

Wilder, 44-4-1 (43 KOs), was still the undefeated WBC heavyweight titlist at the time.

The “Alabama Slammer” (hat tip to Brunch Boxing co-founder Matthew Brown for the nickname) was roughly one month out from a repeat knockout win over Luis Ortiz, which would be the 10th and final defense of the title he held since January 2015.

In his next outing, Wilder suffered a one-sided, 7th round knockout defeat to Fury in their February 2020 rematch at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Their October 2021 rubber match also came with the WBC title at stake, this time at nearby T-Mobile Arena. Fury won via 11th round knockout in the universally hailed 2021 Fight of the Year.

No portion of the heavyweight title has since been contested in the U.S.

Usyk dethroned Anthony Joshua in their September 2021 meeting in North London, then defeated him via split decision in their August 2022 rematch in Riyadh. Fury defeated Dillian Whyte in a 6th round knockout at Wembley, before three straight fights in Riyadh – his two fights with Usyk which were preceded by an October 2023 novelty fight with Francis Ngannou.

Wilder is 2-4 in his last six fights and just at .500 over his last four starts. He knocked out Robert Helenius in the 1st round of their October 2022 meeting in Brooklyn, New York. The win was followed by back-to-back defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang in Riyadh, the latter which seemingly brought a violent end to his memorable career.

Instead, Wilder took a long break before he returned to the ring this past June 27. Ring rust was evident though Wilder pushed through it to eventually stop Tyrrell Herndon in the 7th round in Wichita, Kansas.

Usyk’s win over Witherspoon was the last of his three career fights in the U.S.

The 2012 Olympic Gold medalist made the first defense of his WBO cruiserweight title in a December 2016 stoppage win over Thabiso Mchunu in Inglewood, California. Four months later, he headed over to the East Coast, where he outpointed Michael Hunter in an April 2017 title defense in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

Usyk went on to fully unify the cruiserweight division before moving up to heavyweight. His first win over Fury to become undisputed heavyweight king saw all the titles remain in his possession for just five weeks. He vacated the IBF belt to allow Dubois and Joshua fight for the full version of the title rather than just the interim belt.

Dubois annihilated Joshua inside of five rounds, only to return the belt to Usyk in their July rematch. Fury still holds the IBF belt, along with the WBC and WBA titles. He has since parted with the WBO strap, however, in lieu of an ordered title consolidation bout with Fabio Wardley.

Despite not going through with the fight, Usyk dismissed retirement talks and insisted that he has at least another two years left.

For now, the short-term goal appears to be to check off bucket list items – hence Wilder serving as his desired target.

“Wilder is one of the best names Oleksandr didn't face yet,” Klimas pointed out. “He's still in good shape, and he's still a fighter, so he's interesting. And as well, it's the United States.”

“Wilder is one of the best names Oleksandr didn't face yet,” Klimas pointed out. “He's still in good shape, and he's still a fighter, so he's interesting. And as well, it's the United States.”


Clearly a cash grab that will at least look as good on his resume as Jake Paul will on Joshua's; even if it won't pay anywhere near as much.

Speaking of Joshua, and the shocking tragedy he's just experienced, let's hope he can recover from the trauma of losing 2 close friends, his long time trainers, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.

If it's possible, Joshua may wish to get back to work and start training for the big showdown with boxing's biggest serial liar, Luke Partridge (others might know him as Tyson Fury, but, as we know, very little in the world of the self proclaimed 'gypsy king' seems to be as it appears.

Returning to work after any bereavement can be a real test of confidence, but some prefer to re-establish something that at least feels like a normal routine as soon as possible. Of course, in reality, no such thing as normal can ever possible again, but sadly, that's the true nature of life.

In any case, a return with the winner of that fight might be the way Usyk intends to end his boxing career.

Especially as it now looks like determined Jake Paul's ambitions to win the HW title look somewhat derailed now.

Thomastearns wrote: ↑02 Jan 2026, 20:31 “Wilder is one of the best names Oleksandr didn't face yet,” Klimas pointed out. “He's still in good shape, and he's still a fighter, so he's interesting. And as well, it's the United States.”


Clearly a cash grab that will at least look as good on his resume as Jake Paul will on Joshua's; even if it won't pay anywhere near as much.

Speaking of Joshua, and the shocking tragedy he's just experienced, let's hope he can recover from the trauma of losing 2 close friends, his long time trainers, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.

If it's possible, Joshua may wish to get back to work and start training for the big showdown with boxing's biggest serial liar, Luke Partridge (others might know him as Tyson Fury, but, as we know, very little in the world of the self proclaimed 'gypsy king' seems to be as it appears.

Returning to work after any bereavement can be a real test of confidence, but some prefer to re-establish something that at least feels like a normal routine as soon as possible. Of course, in reality, no such thing as normal can ever possible again, but sadly, that's the true nature of life.

In any case, a return with the winner of that fight might be the way Usyk intends to end his boxing career.

Especially as it now looks like determined Jake Paul's ambitions to win the HW title look somewhat derailed now.

Usyk beating Wilder is definitely far more valuable on the resume than AJ beating Jake Paul. I doubt a fighter will ever be more richly paid for a more insignificant opponent than AJ got for the Jake Paul thing.

To be honest, I don't see why he’d prefer a fight with Wilder over a Saudi-backed payday against Itauma.
While Wilder is definitely the bigger name, he’s lost a few too many times recently for a win over him to really add much value to Usyk’s record.

I figure it's Fwank Warren who doesn't want Itauma to fight Usyk just yet.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑03 Jan 2026, 05:22 I figure it's Fwank Warren who doesn't want Itauma to fight Usyk just yet.

100%. Frank wants the easiest way to the title for Itauma

Oleksandr Usyk told The Ring's @MikeCoppinger that he intends to fight two or three more times before retiring, with Deontay Wilder first on his hit list

I want him to announce the date for the Wilder fight. Who else we want him to fight next we'll talk about after that.

Deontay Wilder: "I’m In My Prime"

https://ringmagazine.com/en/news/former ... sandr-usyk

Usyk by stoppage. Wilder trying to hit Usyk is like a 3 year old trying to hit a fly with a baseball bat.

At one point I was a fanboy of Wilder's. I admit it, but I am amazed at the folks here predicting a Wilder victory.