BOXING
Wilder wants to fight Usyk
After the Usyk-Fury mega bout is officially off, Deontay Wilder has offered himself to replace the ‘Gipsy King’ and fight the Ukrainian boxer.
The Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury soup opera seems to have come to an end. After months of negotiations between the Ukrainian and the British boxers, the fight has been canceled after not getting to a deal regarding the purse split and the rematch clause.
According to boxing insider Mike Coppinger, Usyk, who agreed to a 70-30 purse split in favor of Fury, asked for a 70-30 split for him in the rematch in case he defeated the Brit in the first meeting.
Fury, however, called for a 50-50 purse split in the rematch if he lost to The Cat in the first clash and another 70-30 split in his favor if he came out on top in the first fight.
Deontay Wilder, the alternative?
While both sides haven’t been able to get to a deal, Deontay Wilder has come out to offer himself to fight the undefeated Usyk.
“If the Oleksandr Usyk fight is available, Deontay Wilder will take it in a heartbeat,” said Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel, to Sky Sports.
A fight between the American and the Ukrainian would be a good replacement for the failed Usyk-Fury showdown, as it would be an interesting clash of styles, with Wilder looking to use his knockout power to emerge victorious and Uysk using his boxing IQ to get his hand raised.
However, one thing is the boxer’s will to fight another fighter and another one is to make that fight happen, as has been proven in the case of the Gipsy King.
Moreover, if the Usyk-Fury showdown doesn’t happen, the former cruiserweight king and current WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight champion may be forced to a mandatory title defense route, which would translate into a WBA fight against Daniel Dubois.