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Former heavyweight champion says he walked away from Usyk fight: “I was ready to go”

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Oleksandr Usyk had been in talks to face a former world heavyweight champion, only for a prolonged spell of negotiations to ultimately scupper their showdown.

The three-time, two-division undisputed king has not fought since his fifth-round finish of Daniel Dubois last July, which followed his two points victories over Tyson Fury in 2024.

Having claimed those two scalps, as well as beating Anthony Joshua on two occasions, Usyk has firmly cemented himself as the greatest heavyweight and cruiserweight of his generation.

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One man who had hoped to challenge that status, however, is Deontay Wilder, who was named by Usyk as a desirable opponent towards the end of last year.

‘The Bronze Bomber’ comes off a stoppage victory over little-known heavyweight Tyrrell Herndon in June, which followed his defeats against Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker.

His fifth-round stoppage loss to Zhang, in particular, left a sizable impression on the division in 2024, with many calling for the former WBC champion to retire.

But since then, Wilder has managed to secure a showdown with fellow veteran Derek Chisora at London’s O2 Arena on April 4.

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This came about after the American’s talks with Usyk, who he was expected to face later this year, had collapsed at the negotiating table.

Speaking with Fight Hub TV, Wilder explained why, instead of challenging for the WBC, IBF and WBA belts, he is now facing Chisora in a non-title fight.

“Me and Derek had been working on a fight for a very long time. Actually, this fight was supposed to have happened back in December.

With the Usyk situation, it was like, ‘I’m 40 years old; I’m ready to go. I can’t sit back; I can’t sit around.’

I don’t think they [team Usyk] had a set date, a place where they wanted to go – that was still lingering around.

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The clock goes like this – it’s tick-tocking.”

Perhaps a clash between Usyk and Wilder could soon be revisited, but only if the 40-year-old successfully takes care of Chisora in April.

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Sports

ONE Fight Night 40: “I’ll beat him everywhere”

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11 minutes ago

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10 February 2026

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Adrian Lee won’t settle for a basic victory when he returns to the Circle for his fifth promotional appearance. Instead, the young Singaporean-American dynamo promises total domination.

The 19-year-old martial artist faces Japanese star Shozo Isojima in a lightweight MMA clash on February 13 inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. Their three-round battle will be part of ONE Fight Night 40: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger II on Prime Video.

‘The Phenom’ and Isojima enter this battle after falling to ONE welterweight submission grappling world champion Tye Ruotolo in their respective lightweight MMA battles last year.

Ahead of fight night, the Hawaii-based fighter made bold predictions about how their matchup would unfold.

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“He has some accolades in his judo and his wrestling, but I believe that I’ll beat him everywhere in this game,” Adrian Lee confidently told ONE Championship.

That confidence shows zero concern about Isojima’s credentials.

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The Japanese fighter brings a legitimate grappling pedigree into this high-stakes matchup, but the Prodigy Training Center athlete is dismissing any talk about his foe having an advantage there ahead of Friday’s clash.

Lee’s all-around arsenal could help him dominate Isojima, but if the latter can pounce on any opportunity throughout this fight, he could well leave the Lumpinee Stadium with one of the biggest upsets of the night.

Adrian Lee ‘itching’ to return to action in Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium

Adrian Lee revealed his excitement for his ONE Championship return in a post on his official Instagram account last month.

Lee, who goes by the username @adrianleemma on the social media application, wrote:

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“About that time again, itching to get into that cage.”

The 19-year-old is currently 3-1 in his professional MMA journey. All three of his victories, against Antonio Mammarella, Nico Cornejo, and Takeharu Ogawa, were achieved via submission.

ONE Fight Night 40 will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada, live in U.S. primetime, for free, this Friday.

Fight fans around the globe, meanwhile, can tune in to the card via ONE’s official YouTube channel, the ONE Super App, and watch.onefc.com. Geo-restrictions may apply.