Oleksandr Usyk in 'direct discussions' with Zuffa Boxing about Deontay Wilder farewell

Oleksandr Usyk is in “direct discussions” with Zuffa Boxing regarding a fight with Deontay Wilder after last week vacating his three heavyweight titles to focus on ‘one last dance’.

During his 25-0 (16 KOs) career, Usyk has cleaned up at cruiserweight and heavyweight and can boast victories over nearly all his closest rivals. With two wins over each of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois achieved, it could be argued that Wilder, 45-4-1 (43 KOs), is the last remaining marquee heavyweight the Ukrainian needs to ‘complete’ his era.

Usyk first confirmed his intention to face the 40-year-old Wilder at last December’s WBC convention in Bangkok. It fell through that time with Usyk, 39, going on to face kickboxer Rico Verhoeven instead. His subsequent struggle, before triumphing in the 11^th round in May, surprised many and led to some calling for Usyk to retire. 

Now it seems a battle with the fading “Bronze Bomber”, who in April edged past Derek Chisora, is back on.

“Usyk has already stated that he sees Deontay Wilder as the opponent for his last dance,” Usyk’s team director, Sergey Lapin, told BBC Sport.

“We are in direct discussions with Zuffa Boxing at the highest level. At this stage, no agreements have been signed.

“Zuffa Boxing is considered as one of the potential partners for a major international event. The final structure will be determined based on what is in the best interests of the fight, the fighters, and the overall scale of the project.”

Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel, told the BBC: “If Deontay is offered a fight with Usyk, he would take it.”

The American’s form has been erratic in recent years. After losing the WBC heavyweight title to Tyson Fury in a February 2020 rematch he would lose three of his next four bouts. He has won his most recent two, however, stopping Tyrrell Anthony Herndon last June before going the full 12 with Chisora in London.

Lapin said the “most logical” setting for Usyk-Wilder would be somewhere in America. “There is considerable interest surrounding this possibility at the moment, but no concrete agreements have been reached,” he said.

“A fight of this level requires more than just the right names. It also requires the right partner, the right venue, the right broadcast platform, and an event of the appropriate scale.”