Oleksandr Usyk says he wants to face former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder in his next fight in 2026. The Ukrainian star confirmed the previously reported matchup during the Inoue vs Picasso broadcast this past Saturday from Riyadh.
When asked what happens next, Usyk said: “Next year, I want [to] fight with [The] Bronze Bomber, yes, Wilder [sic].”
Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) of Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine, was expected to face Fabio Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) of England in the first half of 2026. In November, the 38-year-old three-time, two-division undisputed champion relinquished his WBO heavyweight title, and the bout fell through.
In his previous outing in July, Usyk knocked out Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of their rematch to collect all major heavyweight belts for the second time.
Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs) of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was last in action in June, defeating Tyrrell Anthony Herndon by seventh-round TKO. With the victory, the 40-year-old former WBC champion bounced back from a fifth-round stoppage defeat to Zhilei Zhang in mid-last year, after dropping a unanimous decision to Joseph Parker two years ago.
No official announcement for a Usyk vs Wilder fight is yet in place, with more details expected to follow shortly.