Oleksandr Usyk wants to defend his world heavyweight titles against Deontay Wilder, who has welcomed a fight against the unified champion.
The Ukrainian has broken his silence about his next career move, confirming that he wants to put his WBC, WBA and IBF belts on the line against Wilder.
Usyk has been absent from the ring since his stoppage of Daniel Dubois in their July rematch, but the two-time undisputed world heavyweight champion is now targeting the American, who had a lengthy reign as the WBC champion.
Speaking at the WBC convention in Thailand, Usyk told Boxing King Media: “I want to fight Deontay Wilder. I think it’s interesting.
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Wilder would welcome a fight against Usyk
“This is a world champion guy, this is a very famous guy, this is a strong guy.
“He is one of the great heavyweights of the last 10 years.”
Wilder, who returned to the ring with a seventh-round stoppage of Tyrrell Anthony Herndon in June, would be open to a fight against Usyk.
“Usyk is a great champion,” Wilder’s co-manager Shelly Finkel told Sky Sports.
“We have plans for next year and we’d like Oleksandr Usyk to be part of them.
“If we receive the right offer, we would be open to that fight.”
The Alabama fighter could receive the chance to become a world champion again, a decade after he dethroned Bermane Stiverne to become WBC champion in January 2015.
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Take a look at the highlights from Oleksandr Usyk’s spectacular knockout victory against Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium.
Usyk became the undisputed world heavyweight champion for a second time after he halted Dubois in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium.
The unbeaten 38-year-old vacated the WBO belt last week and Britain’s Fabio Wardley was elevated as the new WBO champion.
But Usyk has vowed to unify all four major titles again in the future, telling the WBC convention: “Some people are saying I’m not undisputed champion anymore. Well, that is only temporary.”