Oleksandr Usyk wants Deontay Wilder fight next: 'I want fight with Bronze Bomber'

What is next for unified heavyweight champion and pound-for-pound great Oleksandr Usyk?

That has been the question Usyk keeps being asked since a fifth-round knockout in July to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion. Usyk relinquished the WBO belt after not facing mandatory challenger Fabio Wardley next. 

Recently, it had been revealed that negotiations are underway for Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) to possibly take on former WBC titlist Deontay Wilder. Usyk was in attendance for Saturday's Ring V: King of the Samurai event from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, live on DAZN. When asked about what's next, Usyk made it clear that he will return in 2026 and wants one name. 

"I want (to) fight with "Bronze Bomber". Yes, Wilder," Usyk told DAZN's Ade Oladipo.

Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs) has fought sparingly since the end of his epic trilogy with Tyson Fury in October 2021. He's only fought four times, going 2-2 with two knockouts and getting stopped by Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. Most recently, Wilder scored a seventh-round stoppage win over Tyrrell Herndon at the end of June.

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