THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR
next year. The big question is this: Who will be his final opponents? There is no obvious answer beyond his desire to face Deontay Wilder early this year. Usyk became an all-time great during a six-fight run between September 2021 and last July, in which he defeated Anthony Joshua (twice), Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury (twice) and then Dubois again, essentially cleaning out the division’s biggest names. The remaining pool of potential foes is shallow, including the likes of Wilder and several young big men who are talented but relatively unproven. The latter group doesn’t appeal to Usyk or his team, although that could evolve. “You never know,” said Egis Klimas, Usyk’s longtime manager. “Everything changes.” Why Wilder? It isn’t complicated. One, he’s a former long-reigning world titleholder whose punching power makes all of his fights interesting. He’s a known quantity worldwide. And, two, he’s from the United States, where Klimas said the fight will take place if negotiations between the parties culminate in an agreement. Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) hasn’t fought in the U.S. since his heavyweight debut, a seventh-round knockout of Chazz Witherspoon in Chicago. His other seven heavyweight fights have taken place in the United Kingdom, Poland (which borders his native Ukraine) or Saudi Arabia.
The former undisputed cruiserweight champion wants to conquer America. And the 40-year-old Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs) is the biggest name among heavyweights in the U.S., warts and all. He’s 2-4 in his last six fights and unranked by The Ring. “I’ve been interested in stepping into the ring with Deontay for a long time,” Usyk told The Ring through a translator. “And I don’t agree that this is weak opposition. He is a powerful boxer who deserves this opportunity. I really want to fight in the United
States and put on a big show for the American audience. The last time I fought in the USA was in 2019, but it wasn’t a major event; it was just my heavyweight debut. “So when we asked ourselves what I still haven’t done, where there is still unclaimed territory, the answer was obvious.” Klimas didn’t want to provide details about the Usyk-Wilder talks, which are ongoing, but he was clearly optimistic. “It’s in the works,” he said. “Is it going to happen? I can’t say. It’s fair to
say that it’s the fight Team Usyk wants.” And assuming Usyk gets and wins that fight, as expected, then what? Agit Kabayel, ranked No. 2 by The Ring and the WBC interim beltholder, is unbeaten (27-0, 19 KOs) and has victories over Frank Sanchez and Zhilei Zhang. He’s gaining respect. However, when Usyk was asked about a potential matchup with the 33-year-old German, he wouldn’t even go there. “I treat everyone with respect and goodwill, including Agit,” he said. “But please don’t ask me right now about specific names or long-term plans. My team and I are focused on the fight with Wilder. After that – we’ll see.”
Klimas’ assessment of Kabayel as a prospective opponent: “No. He needs to do something special.” The boxing world is excited about gifted 21-year-old Moses Itauma, a big puncher from England who some see as the next dominant heavyweight. However, his impressive first-round stoppage of Dillian Whyte in August is his only victory of note. His resume is thin. “I can say the same about Itauma,” Usyk said in early January. “Moses is a boxer with great potential. But at the moment, he isn’t even a contender. In January, he will fight Jermaine Franklin. [Editor’s note: This bout was
later pushed back to March 28.] From a boxing perspective, I am ready for any opponent. But fights are the result of many factors: negotiations between teams, promoters, organizers and sanctioning bodies.” Klimas agreed: Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) isn’t ready. “He’s never been in deep waters,” he said. “He’s never been tested. ... Everybody thinks highly of him, but at this point he’s not in a position to face Oleksandr. Maybe in a year or so. Who knows? Let him prove it. Let him work for it.” Another possibility is Ring No. 1 Fabio Wardley, an Englishman whose rise from white-collar boxing to WBO world titleholder is a compelling story. Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) delivered a stunning, career-changing upset when he knocked out former world titleholder Joseph Parker in the 11th round of a fight he was losing to become the WBO’s interim titleholder last October. He was elevated to full champion the following month when Usyk gave up the belt – and thus lost his undisputed champion status – rather than face Wardley. That tells you all you need to know about Usyk’s interest in taking on Wardley, at least at the time. There IS a scenario that could lead to that matchup or one more meeting with a former rival. Wardley has made it clear that he would face Usyk next if it were up to him, but he’s also intrigued with the possibility of facing Fury, the former
Daniel Dubois was stopped both times he mixed with the Ukrainian legend.
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