‘After I get rid of Tyson Fury, we’re gonna’ talk to Deontay Wilder’: Oleksandr Usyk delivers ‘birthday message’ to Bronze Bomber… while agreeing Canelo Alvarez would be a ‘good fight’
- Oleksandr Usyk has said he wants to fight Deontay Wilder after Tyson Fury
- The Ukrainian also agreed that Canelo Alvarez could be a good fight
- Usyk’s coach agreed that a fight against Wilder would be very exciting
- Wilder beat Robert Helenius last week after a year’s absence from the ring
Oleksandr Usyk has delivered a birthday message to Deontay Wilder saying that he ‘hopes’ to fight him after he ‘gets rid of’ Tyson Fury in 2023.
The Ukrainian boxer defeated Anthony Joshua for a second time via split decision in August, retaining his WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight titles, but is now out to add the Gypsy King’s WBC belt to his trophy cabinet.
That fight is expected to take place in the first part of 2023, with Usyk setting his sights on being the first person to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999.
Oleksandr Usyk (pictured) says he wants to fight Deontay wilder after he fights Tyson Fury
Deontay Wilder (left) knocked Swedish-finnish boxer Robert Helenius (right) out last week
While he has previously claimed that he is ‘not interested in fighting anyone else’ it appears Usyk also has his eyes set on a match against Wilder after he beats Fury.
But earlier this week, Usyk appeared at the Brickhouse Boxing hall in Los Angeles where he was awarded a new Ring Magazine belt and completed a short interview with ESNEWS, sending Wilder a message on his birthday.
Usyk said: ‘After I get rid of Tyson Fury, then we’re gonna talk to Deontay Wilder.’
‘I will train hard,’ he added.
Usyk is expected to fight Tyson Fury (pictured) next after much speculation over their meeting
Usyk’s (R) last fight came in August against Anthony Joshua (L) where he defeated the Brit
The Bronze Bomber leapfrogged Joshua to number one in the Ring Magazine’s top-ten heavyweight rankings, following his huge knock-out win against Robert Helenius last week that sent an ominous message through the heavyweight division.
While it’s unclear who Wilder will fight next, it had been thought that Usyk, might drop down to cruiserweight to fight Canelo Alvarez following his fight against the Gypsy King.
But when asked by ESNEWS as to whether he thought a meeting between him and Wilder would be ‘a good fight’ the Ukrainian quickly responded saying, ‘Yes.’
Meanwhile, Fury has confirmed he will renew his rivalry with Derek Chisora later this year, with the pair going head-to-head for the third time on December 3 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Fury (L) will fight Derek Chisora (R) on December 3 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Wilder meanwhile is weighing up his options after a year out of the ring and a big win last week
A potential bout between Fury and Usyk has been rumoured for some time, with the Gypsy King’s last fight coming on April 22, 2022 against Dillian Whyte, before he announced his retirement.
Yet, when asked why Fury hadn’t fought Usyk back in February, the Ukrainian’s manager Alex Krassyuk was unsure, suggesting that Fury had been advised not to fight so early.
‘He didn’t fight for so long,’ Krassyuk said to ESNEWS. ‘He was out of the ring, taking time, relaxing, spending time with his family.
‘He [Fury] didn’t take the first chance a year ago. So now he says, ‘I offered him a fight.’ The offer came from Saudi, which we committed with. With Fury was already offered the fight for the undisputed [title].
‘Dillian Whyte was ready to step aside. Anthony Joshua was ready to step aside. Everything was done to make it [Usyk vs. Fury] happen last February. I can’t say he [Fury] was scared, but I heard the rumors that he got the advice not to step in that early [against Usyk].
Usyk was rumoured to be interested in going down weight classes to fight Canelo Alvarez
‘Usyk is the man of skills. He’s not a man of power. He has power, but it’s not his main asset. Boxing IQ, speed, skills.’
But the coach seemed excited when speaking on the potential of a future meeting between Usyk and Wilder.
‘Absolutely,’ he said, when asked if he likes the idea of the Wilder fight. ‘There’s no difference in weight. The same weight guys. The speed is going to be the same.’