An unlikely fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder could be on the cards for 2026.
Usyk recently revealed that he wants to face ‘The Bronze Bomber’ next, despite Wilder’s best form arguably being behind him.
The American was once the long-time WBC heavyweight champion, making 10 defences of the belt over a five-year period from 2015 to 2020, but two defeats to Tyson Fury, along with further losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang led many to believe Wilder may retire.
He chose to ignore any calls to hang up the gloves and continue with his career, and returned to winning ways with a seventh round stoppage victory over the unheralded Tyrrell Herndon in June.
Usyk also claimed a win in the summer, defeating Daniel Dubois by fifth round knockout at Wembley Stadium in July to become undisputed heavyweight champion for the second time, and while he may have vacated the WBO belt, he still remains in possession of the WBC, WBA and IBF titles.
With no current mandatory challengers to deal with, that has led Usyk to put out the challenge to Wilder, and the American’s co-manager Shelly Finkel has told Sky Sports that they are interested in the proposed bout.
“Usyk is a great champion. We have plans for next year and we’d like Oleksandr Usyk to be part of them. If we receive the right offer, we would be open to that fight.”
Usyk would likely be a heavy favourite in a fight against Wilder, but if ‘The Bronze Bomber’ can land one of his trademark huge right hands, he is certainly capable of pulling off the upset.