Oleksandr Usyk is planning to face Deontay Wilder instead of fellow heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
The Ukrainian holds the unified WBA super, WBO and IBF world heavyweight titles, as well as the less sought-after IBO belt and The Ring Magazine title. He and Fury had been discussing a potential undisputed fight, with the Brit currently holding the WBC title, but the December date being floated didn't suit Usyk due to lingering injuries.
Instead, Fury looks to be on the verge of fighting Anthony Joshua in a domestic super-fight on December 3 at the Principality Stadium. And understanding that Fury could wait until the middle of next year after he fights Joshua, Usyk is keen to get back out against the hard-hitting former champion Wilder should he beat Robert Helenius next month.
Asked by The Ring Magazine who he would like to face in his next title defence, Usyk replied " Deontay Wilder," explaining that “Wilder is a dangerous fighter, and that fight would most likely be in the United States.”
He claims not to be angered by Fury's decision to move towards a fight with Joshua, and insists that he doesn't particularly care what the Brit decides to do. “I’m happy," he explained. "I’m at home, but there’s been only one change, I beat Joshua a second time. Everything else is the same. I don’t have many feelings about [Fury vs Joshua]. I don’t really care if Fury wants to fight somebody.
"My team is working on getting me back in the ring. And no, no, I’m not p***ed off at all. The bigger problem is Tyson Fury is not letting fans see one of the best historical bouts in boxing history. That’s his fault. Not mine. So, I’m not p***ed off at all. Tyson Fury can fight whoever he wants to fight. From the standpoint of sportsmanship, of course it’s not correct."
Usyk's manager Igas Klimas was also keen to stress that Fury has made a number of conflicting statements this year since his win over Dillian Whyte in April. The Manchester native claimed to have retired from the sport, but is now almost certainly fighting by the end of the year, with a possible Joshua rematch clause and a future meeting with Usyk.
Which fight would you rather see Tyson Fury take; Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
“Usyk is the heavyweight world champion and look how many statements Fury has made these last few months," Klimas added. "He’s retiring, he’s not retiring, he’s fighting Usyk, he’s not Usyk, and now he’s fighting Joshua, you really don’t know what Fury is going to do next.
“If you look in his past at everything that happened, Fury always caused a problem when it came to getting an undisputed world champion. He’s unpredictable. What happens when Joshua beats his a**? What will happen next? They will go to a rematch, which will push back the chance to have an undisputed world champion.
"I think Fury is most likely afraid of Usyk. Why does he run away from Usyk? Why? Because Fury sees danger in Usyk. Usyk wanted to fight Fury by the end of the year. You know what, we’re not running after him. We have three belts. He has one belt.
"Who cares? It’s a situation Fury created. Not Usyk. Usyk would fight Tyson Fury in his backyard. Usyk would fight anyone in their backyard. It was very important for Usyk to return to the Ukraine and to his people.”
