Deontay Wilder Opens the Door to a Duel Against Oleksandr Usyk

JAKARTA - Former world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has opened the door to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk if negotiations between the two go as hoped.

This desire emerged after Usyk was rumored to be eyeing a duel against the American boxer after releasing the WBC, IBF, and WBA championship belts.

Shelly Finkel, who serves as Wilder's manager, confirmed that his pupil would not turn down the opportunity to face one of the best boxers in the modern era. He said the fight was just waiting for the right deal.

"If the conditions are right, Deontay will welcome the opportunity to fight Usyk. Usyk is a great champion and it's an honor to fight him," Finkel told Sky Sports.

Wilder previously expressed his desire to get into the ring against Usyk. He considered the Ukrainian boxer to be an opponent who must be faced in order to complete the target set since the beginning of his professional career.

"He is one of the best in this era. I need a fight against him to achieve what I want to achieve. It can happen and it will happen. As long as I still have faith, the fight will happen," said Wilder.

Usyk has just completed his last world title fight against kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven. The victory through the referee's stoppage in the final rounds sparked a debate, but a rematch against Verhoeven is said to be unlikely.

In addition, Usyk's team also almost closed the trilogy against Tyson Fury. The CEO of the Ready To Fight promotion company, Sergey Lapin, assessed that there was no longer any reason to bring the two boxers together after Usyk defeated Fury twice.

"I don't see any point anymore. Oleksandr has beaten Tyson Fury twice and answered all the questions in the ring," he said.

The United States (US) is the most likely location to host the Wilder and Usyk duel. However, Usyk still dreams of having one last fight in his homeland, Ukraine, something that has not been possible since the massive Russian invasion began.

In addition to the US, the fight also included the option of Saudi Arabia as a location. However, there has been no light at the end of the tunnel that confirms that the fight will take place.

Usyk is a world champion who has always won all his professional matches. He is recorded as one time undisputed world champion in the cruiserweight class and twice in the heavyweight class.