By Craig Daly: Deontay Wilder’s co-manager Shelly Finkel says a fight against IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is possible if the Tyson Fury-Usyk negotiations fall apart.
Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) will need an opponent if he can’t agree with Fury. On paper, the biggest money fight available for Usyk once you remove Fury and Anthony Joshua from the equation is Deontay Wilder. Finkel believes that’s a viable fight that could take place between Deontay and Usyk next.
Wilder (43-2-2, 42 KOs) and Finkel are in Saudi Arabia this weekend to attend the Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury fight, and they could meet up with WBC champion Tyson. Finkel says there’s “unfinished business” with Tyson Fury for Wilder, and he’s a fourth fight as inevitable.
If the Fury-Usyk fight fails to happen, Wilder would be an excellent plan B option for Fury to take for his next match, as there will be tons of interest.
Of course, the logical backup option for Fury would be Anthony Joshua, considering that he’s written off AJ, saying he won’t fight him due to the difficulties they had in their negotiations last year, which leaves Wilder in the catbird seat to get the Tyson fourth match.
Wilder vs. Usyk possible if no Fury-Usyk
“I can’t tell you. We have three or four different options. I can’t tell you what,” said Shelly Finkel, the co-manager for Deontay Wilder, to talkSPORT Boxing.
“Yes, there will. We joke about it as unfinished business, but there are a couple of things before that,” said Finkel when asked if there will be a fourth fight between Wilder and Tyson Fury.
“We’ll see if Usyk fights Fury. If he doesn’t, maybe we’ll have Usyk potentially,” said Finkel.
Finkel discusses Wilder fighting Joshua
“You know about [Andy] Ruiz. There are a couple of others. In the next week, hopefully, one of them will take shape, and then you’ll see it. We have looked for years for it, and I think the public knows that when they [Team Joshua] said, ‘We want 50 million,’ and we said, ‘You got it,’ and the fight [didn’t happen],” said Finkel when asked if Anthony Joshua could be a potential next fight for Wilder.
“Eddie [Hearn] said to me, ‘Do this,’ most recently, ‘and it’ll happen. He said the next fight will be with Joshua. Then his next fight, he [Joshua] has a new trainer. The new trainer [Derrick James] wants him to take a warmup, and then they say, ‘Maybe NOT Deontay Wilder. Maybe Dillian Whyte.’ I can’t wait for them. We just got to go with our career,” said Finkel, making it clear that he’s lost patience with Joshua & Hearn, choosing not to fight Wilder.
“It’s Joshua,” said Finkel when asked what is behind Joshua not taking the fight with Wilder. “I know that any fighter I’ve ever been near if they want something bad enough, you get it done.”