Could Usyk and Wilder fight Kabayel and Wilder before facing each other?

While there has been speculation that Oleksandr Usyk could defend his heavyweight championship against Deontay Wilder, each fighter has apparently got different options.

Agit Kabayel’s manager, Spencer Brown, told Sky Sports that his WBC interim champion is in hot pursuit of Usyk following his three-round shootout with Damian Knyba earlier this month.

The Queensberry heavyweight started slowly but ground Knyba to a halt in Oberhausen, Germany.

“I think anybody that was there will tell you it’s one of the best atmosphere’s they’ve ever seen, and we only want the biggest names for Agit,” said Brown. “We still want this Usyk fight desperately. That’s where we want to end up as quickly as possible. 

“We think we can sell 70,000 in Germany. We’ve awoke a sleeping giant [with big-time boxing in Germany] and I think it can only get bigger, and it will only get bigger but we need the big, big names. Usyk is the biggest name in the sport, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, they’re the biggest names in the sport and we’ve got to get them over there. Obviously it’s not going to be cheap, but we are trying our hardest to get Usyk to go to Germany. And don’t forget, the biggest population of his people are in Germany, so it would be a huge event and it would open up the German market massively.”

And while Wilder told BoxingScene he was optimistic that talks with Usyk would be fruitful, Brunch Boxing’s Matthew Brown has reported the Tuscaloosa puncher could instead fight Derek Chsiora in the Englishman’s 50th career fight.

The two went head-to-head in Dubai last month on stage at the weigh-in of the WBA regular title fight between Murat Gassiev and Kubrat Pulev and the IBA has already expressed an interest in a Chisora-Wilder fight.

However, Chisora’s former trainer, Don Charles, warned Wilder about overlooking Chisora if he is to get to Usyk.

Chisora has won his last three, against Gerald Washington, Joe Joyce and Otto Wallin, while Wilder has lost four of his last six, though was victorious in his last fight, in Wichita in June.

“I wouldn’t consider Derek, irrespective of where he is in his career at the moment, I wouldn’t choose him as a comeback fight or a warm up fight,” said Charles. “That’s disrespectful. Wilder in his last few fights, I wouldn’t choose Derek as a warm up. But, if it’s real, let it be.”