Deontay Wilder is hoping to take a warm-up fight before squaring off against Oleksandr Usyk.
The heavyweight king recently shocked everyone by naming the opponent he wants to face next.
Deontay Wilder has lost four of his past six fights and seems to be way past his peak at 40 years old.
Still, he could get the chance to fight Oleksandr Usyk for his WBC, WBA, and IBF heavyweight belts in 2026.
- LATEST NEWS: Deontay Wilder has one major concern about Anthony Joshua ahead of Jake Paul ‘money grab’
Deontay Wilder eyes warm-up fight after face-off
Deontay Wilder and a bunch of other boxing stars are currently in Dubai for the IBA Men’s Elite World Championships.
Several cameras were rolling when ‘The Bronze Bomber’ had a face-off with Derek Chisora.
It was supposed to be playful, but things got intense as the heavyweight duo went nose to nose.
The impromptu staredown ended when Chisora grabbed Wilder, and security rushed in to break up a potential brawl.
Afterwards, the American knockout artist expressed his desire to box Chisora before taking on Oleksandr Usyk.
How would Deontay Wilder do against Oleksandr Usyk if they fight in 2026?
The 40-year-old former heavyweight world champion has looked way past his peak in recent fights.
“Derek Chisora, you want it, you can get it. That’s for sure,” Wilder said.
“That might be my warm-up fight. I’ll see what people think about it.
“We were supposed to fight years ago, and I got in some legal trouble and it meant I couldn’t travel.
“It was supposed to happen, and it didn’t happen, and this opportunity means it can happen.”
Deontay Wilder is worried about Anthony Joshua’s legacy
Deontay Wilder and the rest of the fight world will be tuning into Netflix on December 19.
Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua will headline the streaming platform’s latest foray into live sports.
On paper, it’s a massive mismatch in favor of the former two-time heavyweight world champion.
However, Wilder understands that anything can happen when two big boxers swing at each other.
So, he’s concerned that Joshua’s legacy will be tarnished forever if he suffers an upset loss to Paul.
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“It is gonna hurt his legacy,” Wilder said.
“If he goes in there and gets knocked out in a dramatic way or something like that, it will hurt his legacy.
“That’s something that people are always gonna go back [to] and look at the highlight reel.
“So, I see it where it could hurt his legacy, because at the end of the day, people only remember the last thing you’ve done.”
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