Egis Klimas: Usyk Considering Wilder for April or May Bout

Oleksandr Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, confirmed that negotiations are indeed underway for a fight against Deontay Wilder. It’s not about trying to revive heavyweight boxing in the U.S. It’s essentially a low-pressure, stay-busy fight for the 38-year-old Usyk.

Klimas states that this will be a voluntary defense for Usyk in April or May. They want to stage the fight in Las Vegas or Nevada. The sanctioning bodies won’t be blocking it from happening.

“Wilder is one of the best names Oleksandr didn’t face yet,” Egis Klimas said to The Natonal. “He’s still in good shape, and he’s still a fighter, so he’s interesting. And as well, it’s the United States.”

Klimas’ comment about “best names” doesn’t translate to mean ‘best fighters’, unfortunately. The 40-year-old Deontay is long past being viewed as one of the best fighters in the heavyweight division. The former WBC champion Wilder has 2-4 in his last six fights, and hasn’t beaten a top-tier fighter in many years.

Staging the fight in the U.S makes sense for Usyk, as it’s likely the only place that it would draw a crowd. It’s unclear whether Turki Alalshikh would be interested in financing a fight of this kind, given how Wilder has performed in his two fights in Riyadh, losing to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang in blowout fashion. These are not competitive in any way.

What is more troubling is Deontay’s lack of effort in both fights. He just moved around the ring against Parker, making no effort to engage. In Wilder’s fifth-round knockout loss to Zhang in June 2024, he made one half-hearted charge forward in the fifth round. Zhang promptly flattened him.

Wilder provides Usyk with a recognizable name but without a threat. The booming right hand that ‘The Bronze Bomber’ once had is gone. He rarely throws it anymore, perhaps because of too many bad experiences of being clipped.

Usyk has already beaten Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois twice. He has an obligation to take a risky fight now.

Wilder no longer has leverage to bargain with Usyk. He’s still well known to Americans, but he’s not popular enough anymore to use that to his advantage to negotiate favorable terms.