Unbeaten unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk rumoured to take on former WBC world champion Deontay Wilder
Unified heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk is set to face former WBC world champion Deontay Wilder.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Jonathon House examines what a potential clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder would mean for the heavyweight division and Usyk’s already glittering legacy.
From cruiserweight king to heavyweight supremacy
Usyk is the IBF, WBA and WBC world champion. He was also the undisputed cruiserweight world champion, winning all four belts at cruiserweight before moving up to heavyweight.
He went on to win the WBO, WBA and IBF world championships against former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in September 2021.
In May 2024, he fought WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury, beating him by split decision.
He later went on to beat Fury again, meaning he has beaten three of the best heavyweights of this generation twice: Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois.
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Why Wilder still adds weight to Usyk’s legacy
Usyk has by far the best résumé in the heavyweight division by a long shot. Beating Wilder would add another former heavyweight champion to his record.
Yes, Wilder may no longer be at his best, and he has suffered several losses since fighting Fury, but he still possesses that devastating right hand, which could knock anyone out.
Wilder was the WBC heavyweight champion for five years.
During that reign, he knocked out every opponent apart from Tyson Fury, with whom he fought to a draw in 2018.
The Wilder debate
Many fans and experts say Wilder is one of the hardest punchers in boxing history, if not the hardest puncher of all time.
Wilder has 43 knockouts on his record and, in his prime, was one of the best heavyweights of this generation.
However, following his two losses to Fury, he has since suffered defeats against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, the latter by fifth-round knockout.
Many fans believe Wilder was never an elite boxer, instead relying purely on his punching power, and that when he faced an elite-level boxer in Tyson Fury, he was exposed.
Even so, fans and experts alike cannot deny that Wilder ranks among the hardest punchers in boxing history.
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A dangerous fight at the wrong time, or the perfect legacy move?
The question remains: how much does Wilder have left at this stage of his career?
In his last three fights, he has one win and two losses. That victory came against Tyrell Henderson, where he secured a TKO in the seventh round.
Many felt that Wilder’s power did not look the same as it once did.
Without a doubt, Usyk would enter this fight as a heavy favourite.
A lot of fans also believe Usyk should have taken on his mandatory challenger, Fabio Wardley, who came off a win against Joseph Parker.
The WBO belt was subsequently stripped from Usyk and awarded to Wardley.
Many feel Usyk should be facing the younger fighters in the division, such as Wardley and Moses Itauma.
However, in the long run, adding three long-reigning champions of this era to his record may strengthen his legacy even further.
Usyk does not have long left in boxing. At 38 years of age, he is clearly thinking about his legacy.
While Wilder is past his prime, there remains a real possibility that if he lands cleanly, he could still knock Usyk out.
