Oleksandr Usyk is receiving nonstop 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 are saying that Usyk is cherry-picking and ducking 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 viewed as washed up by fans and has lost three out of his last five fights. He was knocked out twice by the non-puncher Tyson Fury and Zhilei Zhang.
Fan criticism of Usyk on social media
- “Wilder is washed.”
- “Usyk is ducking rising contenders like Wardley.”
- “Usyk is cherry-picking for easy defenses.”
- “It’s unfair to the division.”
- “Wilder is no longer top-10 material.”
Shoulder Issues Sap Deontay’s Power
Wilder has reportedly had shoulder problems, which have sapped the power in his primary weapon, his right hand. In his last fight against Tyrrell Anthony Herndon on June 27th, he was forced to use his left to score a knockout in the seventh. Despite getting the stoppage, Deontay didn’t show much power in his left. His KO was more a product of how poor the 38-year-old non-contender Hernandon was.
“I continue fighting next year. I want to fight Deontay Wilder. I think it’s interesting. He’s one of the greatest heavyweights of the last 10 years. That is my first option,” said Oleksandr Usyk to Boxing King media about who he wants to fight next.
The hardcore boxing fans who closely follow the sport 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 mix of ham-and-eggers, allowing him to pad his record to hold onto his WBC title.
Better Options Usyk Is Ignoring
IBF, WBA, and WBC heavyweight champion Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) has many more interesting options available to him against these fighters:
- Agit Kabayel
- Moses Itauma
- 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 getting knocked out in the seventh round of their rematch in 2020. Deontay made Fury look better than he actually was.
