Oleksandr Usyk was on hand for Naoya Inoue’s latest win on Night of the Samurai in recent days, and immediately following he spoke to Mike Coppinger on behalf of Ring TV to discuss his future in the sport
of boxing as he continues to look towards putting together a fight against former champion Deontay Wilder. Usyk would say that he still has the most interest in facing Wilder of all potential opponents and shares that he only expects to fight a few more times at most.
Usyk is a fighter that’s essentially already run the table at heavyweight, and while there will always be new names of young opponents he could fight, not many are going to begrudge him for handpicking an opponent here or there given what he’s already accomplished. There surely won’t be much intrigue in a Wilder fight at this point if that comes to fruition, but here’s some of what Usyk had to say below.
Usyk on his plans for 2026
“My team prepare for me fight (this year). I want fight with — I say Bronze Bomber, Deontay Wilder. I want this fight, I think Deontay too (wants the fight). Okay, let’s go.”
On facing Wilder now when he’s past his prime
“It’s biggest names (I want to fight). This is man, last 10 years top fighter. It’s I think, for me, it’s great fight.”
On the danger of Wilder’s power and if he now packs a bigger punch than him
“Maybe.”
On how long he plans to fight given that he’s already a sure Hall of Famer
“I think two, three fights more.”
