Sports
Oleksandr Usyk Next Fight Revealed as Boxer Targets Massive Name in 2026
Oleksandr Usyk named a surprise opponent as a fighter he wants to box before he hangs up his gloves for good.
One of the best modern day fighters in the entire sport, Usyk left the cruiserweight division as one of the greats of that weight class with wins over Marco Huck, Mairis Briedis, and Murat Gassiev, before moving to heavyweight and lapping that weight class with two wins over Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois, and Tyson Fury.
If Usyk walked away from boxing, at 24-0 (15 KOs), he’d undoubtedly leave as an all-time great who is destined for the Hall of Fame. However, he told Boxing King Media that this is not the end, and he is targeting a generational puncher for when he returns to the ring in 2026.
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Oleksandr Usyk Next Fight
Speaking on the 1st of December, Usyk confirmed he’ll “definitely” continue to fight rather than retire forever, before naming the one and only opponent he wants to next compete against.
“I continue to fight and next year I want a fight with Deontay Wilder.”
With 43 knockouts from 44 wins, there are few opponents who have been able to stand up to Wilder’s vaunted power, and his trilogy with Fury became an instant classic because of a draw in 2018, before back-to-back Fury wins in up-and-down thrillers in 2020 and 2021. Should Usyk fight Wilder, he’ll have taken on all the big names that were competing in the same era as he was, at both cruiserweight and heavyweight.
“He’s a world champion, a very famous guy, and a very strong guy. He’s one of the great heavyweights of the last 10 years,” Wilder said.
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Who Else Could Oleksandr Usyk Fight Next?
There are few suitable challengers out there in boxing for Usyk, considering he’s almost cleared out the entire division. Usyk could have fought a fresh opponent as the WBO, which is one of the sanctioning bodies Usyk was a champion of, ordered a mandated defense against Fabio Wardley. However, the WBO stripped Usyk of the belt and elevated Wardley as champion after the Ukraine king failed to to defend his throne against the Brit.
Outside of Wardley, Usyk could fight a credible challenger in Moses Itauma as the 20-year-old is revered as one of the greatest prospects in the sport today. Beating Itauma in 2026 could age as well as Floyd Mayweather‘s 2013 win over a still-developing Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, who went on to become the pound-for-pound No.1-ranked fighter. Other options could include Agit Kabayel, Filip Hygrovic, or Richard Torrez, but they are not as attractive options as Wardley, who Usyk denied the chance to fight, let alone Wilder.
As such, there is only one man Usyk has his eyes on — for now.
“I say only no [not negotiations yet with Wilder]. I speak with my team, this is my first option.”
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