Oleksandr Usyk vs Deontay Wilder fight hurdle cleared as breakthrough made over title defence

Oleksandr Usyk has been given permission by the WBC to make a voluntary world title defence against Deontay Wilder.

Usyk became undisputed heavyweight world champion for the second time with a stunning KO of Daniel Dubois in July.

He was ordered to next defend his WBO title against Fabio Wardley, but then elected to vacate the belt for ‘business reasons’.

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In a huge surprise, the Ukrainian suggested that his priority was now a showdown with American heavyweight Deontay Wilder.

Wilder’s team have since confirmed that they are open to the bout, and it appears that the mutual interest could formalise in 2026.

There are several hurdles that are believed to be in the way of the bout materialising including obtaining permission from the governing bodies.

But WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has now revealed that Usyk has filed a petition which has been granted.

He told Sky Sports: “Deontay Wilder is ranked No.8. or No.9 so he’s eligible to challenge Oleksandr Usyk if they wish to do so.

“Usyk did petition for a voluntary defence which was granted today.”

Usyk will now likely have to gain permission with the WBA and IBF to get the deal over the line.

The IBF next in line is set to be decided by an imminent eliminator between Richard Torrez Jr and Frank Sanchez.

Meanwhile Kubrat Pulev currently holds the WBA ‘regular’ belt but will first defend his title against Murat Gassiev before the end of the year.

Why does Usyk want to face Wilder over any other challenger?

Usyk has made it clear that he hasn’t got much time left at the peak of his powers.

And the Ukrainian has already beaten some of the best operators in his path in the division including Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

For that reason, he is seeking a showdown with the most lucrative potential.

Ultimately, he is confident that there would be more commercial interest in seeing him face Wilder, than a clash with the dangerous puncher Wardley.

He suggested: “I want a fight with Deontay Wilder, for me, I think it is interesting.

“This is a world champion guy, this is a very famous guy, this is a strong guy.

“He is one of the great heavyweights of the last 10 years. Now, I only have one person [in my mind], and that is Deontay.”

The great Oleksandr Usyk has spoken – we now know who the unified world heavyweight champion wants to meet in his next fight.

Usyk (24-0) is now 38 years old and has done everything in boxing a man could desire. Olympic champion, undisputed cruiserweight world champion and now a two-time undisputed world heavyweight champion.

The Ukrainian maestro has scaled every summit, repelled every challenger, mostly on the road in hostile environments. In the case of British stars Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois – he’s done it twice.

Usyk was forced to give up his WBO world title last month, clearly not believing that his next move should be a mandatory defence against Britain’s fairytale fighter Fabio Wardley.

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Instead Oleksandr is looking to bigger things, and has named the man he wants to meet. And it is – drum roll – big-punching former WBC king Deontay Wilder.

Usyk would start a huge favourite for this one, should it happen in 2026. And the Wilder camp appear game, why wouldn’t they?

There are reasons to believe it’s the absolute perfect choice for Usyk, and there are reasons to feel just a little bit underwhelmed at the same time. Here is why…

Usyk vs Wilder, why it’s perfect

We should say first that Usyk has earned the right to choose who he fights – he owes no man nor sanctioning body anything after his glittering career to date. And in many ways, he’s chosen perfectly here.

It appears Fury and Joshua are on course to meet each other at some stage next year (September in London appears to be the likely landing spot for that long-awaited superfight). So those two would be out as potential opponents, and would we really want a trilogy fight anyway?

The rest of the heavyweights just below that elite level are made up of contenders, fighters who may be really good or even great one day, but don’t have the CV to demand a huge TV audience. Wardley, Agit Kabayel, Joseph Parker etc. None really set the pulse racing.

The one man still in the top 15 who does have some box office potential is Wilder. The man from Tuscaloosa, Alabama is now 40 years old and has not looked remotely impressive since losing to Fury in an epic trilogy fight in late 2021.

But Wilder has two things in his favour – he is American, and he has a huge right hand. The ability to draw a crowd, with at least the lingering threat he could do something incredible. It’s Rocky territory.

Outside of Fury and Joshua, and a crossover fight with Jake Paul (please, no) Wilder might be the biggest payday out there for Usyk. So of course, it makes sense.

And why it’s not perfect

So we’ve given you the reasons why Usyk is right to choose Wilder, now the flip side.

Oleksandr is an amazing fighter, one who always relishes taking on the biggest of challenges. Sadly, these days, Deontay is not that.

Wilder was massively unimpressive in losing his last two meaningful fights – to Joseph Parker in December 2023 and Chinese giant Zhilei Zhang in the summer of 2024. He has never been a technically gifted fighter but he appeared shot on both occasions, no longer able to pull the trigger either.

‘The Bronze Bomber’ did return to the ring in June 2025, stopping Tyrrell Herndon in seven rounds in Wichita. But aside from maybe removing a little ring rust, one look at Herndon’s record shows that fight proved nothing.

Ask most experts out there about Wilder and they will tell you he is a shadow of the fighter who once struck fear into the hearts of opponents. Even in his pomp he needed that knockout punch, most rivals would comfortably outbox him.

While on the face of it, to the casual, it is a fight which might sell to a point in America (or Saudi), it’s hardly a dangerous assignment for Oleksandr. And for that reason, we are just a little bit underwhelmed.

So who should Usyk fight?

So as we said, Usyk has earned the choice here to make his own decision, but that does not mean we can’t all have an opinion. And there is one fight out there, that is available, which would absolutely set the pulse racing.

Moses Itauma, the 13-0 British phenom, is the most exciting thing to hit the heavyweight division since Mike Tyson back in the 1980s. A devastating mix of speed, power and ring savvy. Put simply, he looks the realest of deals.

Fighting Itauma would undoubtedly be a risk for Usyk, the biggest risk out there for him right now. But he has made a career by taking on the mightiest challenges, by elevating his legacy even further.

Usyk vs Itauma would be a massive collision of the young pretender against the brilliant and established champion. A crossroads fight for the heavyweight division and a matchup to savour.

Maybe it will happen one day but for now it appears Oleksandr is headed in a different direction. Yes, he’ll make some money, and yes he will beat Wilder.

But us, we’re just a little bit underwhelmed…

Deontay Wilder Responds to Oleksandr Usyk Callout With Strong Statement

There is a lot of intrigue around what Oleksandr Usyk is going to do next in his boxing career. There hasn’t been much activity or content from the former undisputed heavyweight champion and pound-for-pound great ever since his KO victory over Daniel Dubois in the 5th round of their July 19 bout.

While every heavyweight has been jockeying for position to be his next opponent, Usyk hadn’t even conveyed whether he wanted to fight again, let alone who he was keen to match up against.

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Some believe that his most likely next opponent would be Fabio Wardley after Wardley beat Joseph Parker, especially because Wardley now holds the WBO heavyweight belt. Then again, Usyk relinquished that belt because he had no interest in fighting Wardley, as becoming undisputed again doesn’t seem to be his biggest interest.

Instead, Usyk wants to fight the biggest names. This is why he has expressed an openness to fighting against UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and Jake Paul in recent months.

Oleksandr Usyk Calls Deontay Wilder Out, Wilder’s Team Responds

However, Usyk has conveyed that he has an active heavyweight icon and superstar in the sport in his sights next, which he asserted during a December 1 interview with Boxing King Media.

“I want to fight Deontay Wilder. I think it’s interesting,” Usyk said while speaking at the WBC convention in Thailand, per a video from Boxing King Media’s YouTube channel.

When asked why he wants to face Wilder, Usyk said, “This is a world champion guy, this is a very famous guy, this is a strong guy. He is one of the great heavyweights of the last 10 years.”

It didn’t take Wilder’s team to respond to this callout from Usyk, as Wilder’s co-manager Shelly Finkel told Sky Sports on December 1, “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.”

While this message was technically from Wilder’s manager rather than from himself, it’s obvious that he was behind this fight callout response. And this would be a huge gift for Wilder, who didn’t appear close to fighting for a title before Usyk called him out in this way.

There’s no question that Wilder is a heavy puncher who could potentially put Usyk’s lights out. Still, the skill difference between them would likely make many boxing fans apathetic to this potential bout.