Deontay Wilder Give Real Reason Oleksandr Usyk Wants To Fight Him
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 BoxingScene the queue to face him was shorter when he was knocking everyone out.
JUST IN: “There’s been no fight like it”: Gervonta Davis targeted for ‘super fig
“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.”
