Fights
Usik refused to fight for the absolute title with a dangerous fighter from England
Alexander Usik He explained why he chose to fight Deontay Wilder and not Fabio Wardley for the title of absolute world champion.
According to the champion, this decision has nothing personal and is determined solely by his sporting heritage.
The Ukrainian player emphasized that history and global challenges are important to him. Usyk admitted he has long wanted to fight in the United States, and Wilder is one of the most dominant heavyweights of the last decade.
“This is not about feelings or choices between people. I’m thinking about legacy. I want to box in America and Wilder is a big name in the heavyweight division,” Usyk said.
He also emphasized that Wilder, after two victories over Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, remains the only representative of the “Big Three” whom he has not yet met in the ring.
🥊’USYK EXPLAINS WHY HE CHOOSE WILDER INSTEAD OF WARDLEY’
Usyk rejected the idea that the decision was personal, saying the fight was about the legacy and history of the sport. He announced that he wanted to box in the USA and that Wilder was one of the dominant heavyweights of the recent period… pic.twitter.com/PquOG3hEVa
— Boxing King Media (@boxingkingmedia) January 19, 2026
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports writer and journalist who has written for various online publications including Sportish. I’m originally from the UK but currently live in Toronto, Canada. I’m also an author on Sportish and have written several articles on a variety of sports-related topics.