Oleksandr Usyk Addresses Deontay Wilder Fight Status, Leaves Door Open to Future Return

Oleksandr Usyk is 39 years old. While not old for the planet, boxing, for the most part, is a young man's game.

Usyk has done everything he can inside the squared circle. On three separate occasions, he's been an undisputed world champion, including once at cruiserweight and twice at heavyweight. Many regard him as the absolute best heavyweight of this era.

Yet, what's left to accomplish? With the eternal respect of rivals and fans alike, entering the twilight of his career, Usyk seems ready to end his career on his terms.

Deontay Wilder enters the Usyk conversation by the former champion's choice. At 42, with declining skills that were always limited, Wilder's power remains a drawing card. As he prepares for his last fight, the two-division champion would like one massive payday on the way out.

Usyk says the fight is in Wilder's court

The only thing between Usyk and Wilder fighting remains air and opportunity. Usyk detailed the current status of the fight in an article for The Athletic.

“Why not? If Deontay’s team wants it, I do it. Money, business… now we have two options, but what for me is good, we will take. The team is working on it.”

The fight would signal the probable end of both Uysk's and Wilder's respective careers. Additionally, it could provide a nice financial cushion for the departing fighters. Yet, the former undefeated champion sort of leaves the door open to a return.

Usyk leaves door open to future return

Since the dawn of the sport, boxers have used negotiating tactics and escape plans. Cognizant of a payday in a few years, Usyk keeps the door ajar, citing an old friend, but tempering expectations with a brutal reality.

“Tyson Fury. Stops, comes back. Stops, comes back. We live a long time in this sport, so it’s very hard to say, ‘For me, it’s done’. But when you spend a lot of time at work, your body is tired. Me also. I’m not made of iron, I am not an alien. I have a family, my sons, my daughters.”

Usyk is a married man with kids. He lives in war-torn Ukraine, watching his homeland absorb punishment on a daily basis as a war rages. Somehow, the thought of staying in boxing continues to fade for him.

With a maximum of 12 rounds and 36 minutes remaining in his career, can Usyk close it in stunning fashion? Or will the fight-ending power of Wilder end Usyk before taking that final bow?

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