Oleksandr Usyk eyes ‘famous and strong’ Deontay Wilder (not Tyson Fury) for comeback fight in 2026

A few weeks ago it was reported that Oleksandr Usyk decided to relinquish his WBO Heavyweight title, leading to Fabio Wardley being crowned the new champion. That said, “The Cat” still possesses the WBA , WBC, IBO, The Ring and IBF heavyweight straps, which he won by viciously knocking out Daniel Dubois this past summer (see it again here).

As for who the undefeated (24-0) Ukrainian bruiser wants to face in his comeback fight in 2026, it won’t be a trilogy fight against Tyson Fury. Instead, Usyk is eyeing a showdown against none other than former WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

“I want to fight Deontay Wilder. I think it’s interesting,” Usyk said during a recent interview with Boxing King Media. “He is a world champion guy. A very famous and strong guy, one of the great heavyweights of the last 10 years. I spoke with my team and said he is the first option.”

A third and final fight against Fury seemed to be the direction that Team Usyk was heading in, but that no longer seems to be the case, opting for a fresh matchup seeing as how the big man had two dominant wins over “Gypsy King” in 2024 (see them here and here).

A fight against Wilder (44-4-1) would be something new for “The Cat” since his last six fights have come against Fury, Dubois and Anthony Joshua, defeating all three men twice. Wilder is coming off a seventh-round technical knockout (TKO) win over Tyrrell Anthony Herndon earlier this year (highlights), a journeyman with a 24-6 record as a pro. Prior to that win “The Bronze Bomber” has gone an abysmal 1-4 over his last five outings, with two of those defeats coming at the hands of Fury.

As far as when and where the potential fight would take place that is still unclear as talks of the potential big man scrap is in its infancy stages. That said, care to offer up a prediction as to how this potential Heavyweight showdown unfolds?

For more boxing news and notes click here.