With the breakdown of negotiations between heavyweight titleholders Oleksandr Usyk 20-0 (13) and Tyson Fury 33-0-1 (24), contenders are lining up for a world title shot.
Ukrainian southpaw Usyk, 36, who holds the WBA, WBO and IBF titles, withdrew from negotiations with England’s WBC titleholder Fury, 34, this week after terms could not be reached.
Usyk is expected to face WBA mandatory contender Daniel Dubois 19-1 (18) next, but if he decides to relinquish the Panamanian sanctioning body’s belt, he has other options.
One of them could be a bout against former WBC champion Deontay Wilder 43-2-1 (42).
“If the Usyk fight is available, Deontay will take it in a heartbeat,” Wilder’s manager Shelly Finkel told Sky Sports.
Wilder trainer Malik Scott is equally buoyant about his charge’s chances.
“One plus one is two and Usyk gets hit,” he told Mirror Fighting.
“Deontay is the hardest puncher in the history of the sport and Deontay doesn’t have to hit you over and over and over, if you’re tough enough to take it then you can take it.
“Usyk is a smaller man, but we’ll see how much Usyk can take it.”
Fury has previously seen a fight against compatriot Anthony Joshua 24-3 (22) fall by the wayside after he was forced into a third bout against Wilder due to contractual obligations.
Joshua, 33, lost the WBA, WBO and IBF world titles to Andy Ruiz Jr 35-2 (22) in June 2019, claimed them back in the rematch and then lost them to Usyk in September 2021 before failing to regain them in their return bout.
Ruiz has put his hand up to face Fury next, but Joshua doesn’t care if he ever faces his countryman.
“I can’t say I will sit and wait around for this geezer,” said Joshua of Fury, who will face American Jermaine Franklin 21-1 (14) at the O2 Arena in London on April 1. “There are other fighters out there and other great fights I will have.
“With or without Fury (on my record), I will not wake up tomorrow and be regretting my whole boxing career.
“If he is on it, I’m on it. If he is not, he is not. Whatever.”
Joshua added: “I’ll be real with you. That Fury situation, as much as I love to entertain that gossip, I have been there twice.
Joshua added: “People don’t remember that. I was suppose to fight him before I fought Usyk the first time and he pulled out due to his legal battle with Wilder, the arbitration.
“That was all up in the air, all done online. Then we had the one for this December. Yeah, look that fight, will it get made? I don’t know.
“Look at the shit that they are going through now with this Usyk stuff. It is just crazy.
“Well, it is actually good that people are starting to see – for someone that don’t publicise everything – what actually goes on in negotiations.
“It is good that people can actually see the shit that people have got to put up with just to make a fight.
“Me and Usyk had two successful fights done you know, so it is just crazy.”
