Former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is smiling hard after being informed of the recent statements from WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.
In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Wilder explained that he wasn't worried at all about the incoming Usyk.
“Oleksandr Usyk is not a threat to me. He’s too small for me. He does a lot of movement and stuff like that, but that don’t faze me,” Wilder said.
Usyk, who unified the entire cruiserweight division in 2018, makes his heavyweight debut on Saturday night, when he faces late replacement Chazz Witherspoon in Chicago.
While Wilder appears to have no concern, Usyk believes the big heavyweight is already worried.
“I really don’t care what he’s [Wilder] saying. I really don’t care what he’s thinking. Actually, I like it that he’s talking about me because it means I’m already into his head. He’s a champion and knows what it takes. For me, it really doesn’t matter, but I like that he’s thinking about me,” Usyk told Fansided.
Before he made a decision to move up in weight, Usyk cleaned out the entire cruiserweight division. Last year he dominated Murat Gassiev over twelve round to win the World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight tournament, and then a few months later he scored a brutal knockout in retiring former champion Tony Bellew.
Usyk wants to pull off the same type of dominating run at heavyweight. He is already the WBO's mandatory challenger - which means he's in line to face the winner of the heavyweight rematch between champion Andy Ruiz and champion Anthony Joshua - which takes place on December 7th.
“I seeing [sic] everything the same as it was at cruiserweight,” said Usyk. “Now that I’ve come to heavyweight, I want to see the same thing.”
