Oleksandr Usyk's 'farewell' fight takes fresh twist as Deontay Wilder plan emerges

Oleksandr Usyk could end his illustrious boxing career with a farewell fight against former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

Usyk announced last month that he was vacating WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles ahead of what he describes as his "last dance".

The 39-year-old shared that update after he struggled to overcome kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven last month, with plans to face WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel.

The Ukraine native has since scrapped plans to fight Kabayel and is instead pushing for a farewell fight against Wilder in America.

"Usyk has already stated that he sees Deontay Wilder as the opponent for his last dance," Sergey Lapin, Usyk's team director, told BBC Sport.

"It is a match-up with significant potential from a sporting, media and international perspective."

Widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of this generation with an unbeaten record across 25 professional fights, Usyk has never fought the 'Bronze Bomber', setting up a potentially mouth-watering showdown.

Wilder, a former heavyweight champion, was once regarded as the hardest-hitting heavyweight in boxing, winning 45 of his 50 fights and most recently beating Derek Chisora by split decision in April.

Although the 40-year-old is past the peak of his powers, Wilder's manager, Shelly Finkel, is behind a potential clash against Usyk and has claimed his fighter would take the opportunity.

"If Deontay is offered a fight with Usyk, he would take it," Finkel said.

A fight between two of the world's greatest heavyweights could be promoted by Zuffa Boxing, with UFC president Dana White relishing the opportunity to recognising boxing's own champions.

Lapin even confirmed that they are in direct contact with Zuffa to create a package that has the fighters best intentions in mind, although no agreement have been signed yet.

"We are in direct discussions with Zuffa Boxing at the highest level. At this stage, no agreements have been signed," he added.

"Zuffa Boxing is being considered as one of the potential partners for a major international event.

"The final structure will be determined based on what is in the best interests of the fight, the fighters, and the overall scale of the project."

What Oleksandr Usyk has said about potential Deontay Wilder fight

Usyk has overcome all of boxing's biggest heavyweights, defeating the likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois on two occasions each.

The legendary southpaw arguably sees a showdown against Wilder as an opportunity to cement his legacy even further, already confirming that the American is who he wants to face.

"I want to fight Deontay Wilder. I think it’s interesting," Usyk said in December 2025.

“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.”

A fight has been long in the pipeline, as Wilder even confirmed in the same month that his management were in talks to reach an agreement with Usyk.

"It's definitely becoming more of a conversation. A real conversation. Boxing is a business. Sometimes you can have solid business and then it falls through," Wilder said.

"Most of the time if we're lucky and God blesses us we get the great fight and they happen and great things come from that. Great memories for sure.

"Right now we're definitely in talks for that fight. I'm excited. I'm looking forward to it."