Oleksandr Usyk eyes Deontay Wilder fight as Tyson Fury targets Anthony Joshua

Oleksandr Usyk has said Deontay Wilder would be his ideal next opponent, with the Ukrainian plotting his next move as Tyson Fury targets Anthony Joshua.

Usyk defeated Joshua in August to retain the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles, outpointing the Briton for the second time in 11 months. The result seemed to set up a clash with WBC title holder Fury to crown an undisputed champion, but Fury’s desired December date will come too soon for Usyk.

Fury has now turned his attention to Joshua, and talks between the Britons’ teams have progressed quickly. Usyk, therefore, looks like he will need to find a different opponent for his next bout.

“Deontay Wilder,” the unbeaten southpaw told Ring magazine when asked whom he would like to box next.

“Wilder is a dangerous fighter, and that fight would most likely be in the United States.”

Usyk, 35, also said he would likely be ringside for Wilder’s upcoming fight against Robert Helenius in Brooklyn on 8 October.

However, former world champion Andy Ruiz Jr is also seeking a clash with Wilder, having outpointed Luis Ortiz this month.

Wilder has not competed since last October, when he was stopped by Fury for the second fight in a row. The American, 36, and Fury fought to a controversial draw in December 2018, before Fury won the WBC title from Wilder in their February 2020 rematch and retained the gold in their trilogy bout.

Wilder’s defeats by Fury are the only losses of the American’s professional career.

Meanwhile, Usyk is unbeaten and previously reigned as the only undisputed cruiserweight champion of the four-belt era.