By Vince D’Writer: Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) believes current unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) will not give him a title shot because is afraid.
The 37-year-old Wilder is currently a contender for the heavyweight title. He tops the rankings in all four major boxing governing bodies and has WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk on his radar.
Deontay Wilder became a major contender in the heavyweight division in January 2015 when he defeated Bermaine Stiverne via unanimous decision to win the WBC heavyweight title.
Two years and five successful title defenses later, Wilder gave Stiverne a rematch.
Wilder and Stiverne’s first clash was a classic battle with both men standing in pockets and exchanging heavy shots. The second fight in 2017 was a complete disaster as Wilder landed a crushing knockout in the first round.
Bronze Bomber defended his title in March 2018 when he defeated Luis Ortiz in the tenth round, and nine months later he drew a split decision with Tyson Fury. Wilder and Fury met again in 2020 and 2021, but unfortunately for Wilder, he lost both fights.
After a year of inactivity, Deontay Wilder was ready to return to the square of the circle and had a pair of eyes monitoring his progress. Wilder’s return to the ring was set for October 15, 2022, and Oleksandr Usyk planned to be present because he wanted to fight the winner.
Deontay Wilder vs Robert Helenius took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. With 11 seconds left in the opening round, Deontay Wilder ended the fight when he caught Robert Helenius entering and landed a short shot from the right hand.
After getting into business in the ring, Wilder was ready to cash in on Usyk’s statement regarding the winner, who received a unified title match, but Usyk did not show up for the event. The fact that Usyk did not appear at the event raised doubts, with Wilder speaking about his doubts at the post-fight press conference.
“We’ll see what happens. I’ll keep Usyk’s word. We’ll call his team and whoever is his handler and see what’s going on and if he keeps his word, what a hell of a fight it would be.
Seven months later and we have no hype for the Usyk-Wilder matchup. During an interview with ESNews, Deontay Wilder spoke about why a unified championship fight between him and Usyk has yet to happen.
“I’m all for it, but he’s a little scared. He’s not a little scared, he’s very scared. You know, I’m in business. I know many things.
Oleksandr Usyk’s boxing skills are a notch above Wilder’s, but Wilder has the ultimate equalizer in the form of his devastating right hand. In a potential matchup between Usyk and Wilder, Usyk will be pounding Wilder for most of the rounds, but the question is will Usyk get off the canvas?
It is extremely difficult to go 12 rounds with Deontay Wilder without touching his trademark right hand. He has 43 wins to his name, 42 of which he won by knockout. Wilder always says his opponent has to be perfect for 12 rounds, but he only has to be perfect for two seconds.
From a skill point of view, Oleksandr Usyk should be confident, but when it comes to examining the chin, one has to wonder if Usyk is worried about Wilder’s right hand? Tyson Fury was successful against Wilder, but the 6’9,270-pound Fury had to pull himself off the canvas four times.
Oleksandr Usyk was able to beat Anthony Joshua in both of their fights, but Joshua had moments where he was able to touch Usyk. Hypothetically speaking, if Wilder had hit Usyk with similar shots to Joshua, it could have been a knockout victory for Wilder.
The fight between unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and former WBC champion Deontay Wilder would be a classic boxer vs. puncher fight. If somehow this fight gets signed in the future, Wilder has a message for Usyk.
“Be ready so you don’t have to prepare.”
