JAKARTA - Deontay Wilder believes he still has a chance to face Oleksandr Usyk. He is also confident that he only needs one more victory to meet the two-time undisputed heavyweight world champion.
Wilder is confirmed to be in the ring against Derek Chisora at The O2 Arena, London, England, on Sunday, April 5, 2026 tomorrow. He intends to return to the winning track in the duel to secure his chance to meet Usyk.
"It [the duel with Usyk] can happen and will happen. As long as I have the confidence to do what I have to do, unless he retires," Wilder said as quoted by Sky Sport.
Usyk previously wanted a voluntary title defense against Wilder. However, Wilder then preferred Chisora so that the Ukrainian champion turned to face kickboxing world champion Rico Verhoeven.
After that, Usyk issued a list of three fights he would take before deciding to retire - including Verhoeven - but Wilder's name was not on the list. The other two names that entered were Tyson Fury and the winner of the duel Fabio Wardley versus Daniel Dubois.
Wilder said that in the boxing business everything can change quickly so that the opportunity to meet Usyk in the ring is always open. He emphasized that even though his name has been ruled out, it does not close all possibilities.
"He is one of the best in this era. I really need him to achieve what I need to achieve," said the American fighter.
Wilder is a long-time WBC heavyweight titleholder. He lost his belt when he met Tyson Fury in 2020 and has not managed to reclaim it since.
The boxer, who is currently 40 years old, has also suffered defeats from Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang in recent years. Thus, he needs a victory against Chisora to prove that his strength is still there.
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