Oleksandr Usyk is receiving relentless criticism from fans on social media for saying he wants to fight Deontay Wilder in the next title defense of his three heavyweight belts in 2026.
Accusations of cherry-picking
Fans say that Usyk cherry-picks and ducks the dangerous WBO champion Fabio Wardley. He recently vacated his WBO title rather than defend against Wardley, taking his status as the undisputed heavyweight champion.
The 40-year-old former WBC champion Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs) is considered washed up by fans and has lost three of his last five fights. He was knocked out twice by non-puncher Tyson Fury and Zhilei Zhang.
Fan criticism of Usyk on social media
- “Wild is washed.”
- “Usyk dodges emerging contenders like Wardley.”
- “Usyk cherry picks for easy defense.”
- “It is unfair to the department.”
- “Wilder is no longer top-10 material.”
Shoulder issues sap Deontay’s power
Wilder reportedly had shoulder problems, which sapped the power in his primary weapon, his right hand. In his last fight against Tyrrell Anthony Herndon on June 27, he was forced to use his left to score a knockout in the seventh. Despite the layoff, Deontay didn’t show much power in his left side. His KO was more a product of how poor the 38-year-old non-contender Hernandon was.
“I’m going to continue fighting next year. I want to fight Deontay Wilder. I think it’s interesting. He’s one of the biggest heavyweights of the last 10 years. That’s my first option,” said Oleksandr Usyk. Boxing King media who he wants to fight next.
Die-hard boxing fans who follow the sport closely believe that Deontay’s five-year reign as the WBC champion from 2015 to 2020 was more about careful matchmaking by his promoters than him ever being a good fighter. During those five years, Deontay was matched against a mixture of ham and eggs, allowing him to add to his record of holding his WBC title.
Better Options Usyk Ignore
IBF, WBA and WBC heavyweight champion Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) has many more interesting options available against these fighters:
- Agit Kabayel
- Moses It will hurt
- Fabio Wardley
- Anthony Joshua
- Tyson Fury
- Richard Torrez Jr.
- Frank Sanchez
- Filip Hrgovic
When Wilder faced a good but far from elite heavyweight in Tyson Fury, he was exposed as a fake, fighting to a controversial 12-round draw in their first fight in 2018, then being knocked out in the seventh round of their 2020 rematch. Deontay made Fury look better than he actually was.
Last updated on 12/02/2025
