Deontay Wilder has expressed his delight with the announcement that unified champion Oleksandr Usyk will be at ringside next month when the former WBC heavyweight champion returns to the ring against Robert Helenius.
Deontay Wilder eyeing a potential Usyk fight after Helenius
It will be Deontay Wilder’s first fight since he was knocked out by Tyson Fury in their trilogy fight a year ago in Las Vegas. ‘The Bronze Bomber’ will be seen in action against Helenius on 15th October at the Barclays Center in New York City.
Usyk won his rematch with Anthony Joshua by split decision last month in Saudi Arabia to retain his WBO, IBF, IBO, and WBA belts. The Ukrainian fighter recently revealed he will be at ringside to watch Wilder’s return.
Wilder expects Usyk to keep his word, along with some in-ring action.
“I heard about the Usyk situation and he’s going to be there. I hold Usyk to be a man of his word,” Wilder said in a recent interview with Sky Sports, “If Usyk’s saying he wants to give me an opportunity for the titles then that’s what I’m holding his word to. I always tell people that I don’t look past fighters but I do look through them, there’s nothing wrong with that, being confident in yourself and looking ahead once this chapter is closed.”
Uzyk plans to hold his next fight in the first quarter of 2023. A WBC semi-final will follow Wilder’s fight with Helenius. Upon winning this semi-final, the winner would be in line to face former unified champion Andy Ruiz and the winner would face the current WBC world champion Tyson Fury.
“I’ve got to handle business at the end of the day. Without handling business then nothing else is moving forward. I’m taking it one fight at a time. I’m taking it all in one day at a time. Once I’ve accomplished and finished what I have to do with Robert then I’ll move on and I’ll be looking forward to the next challenge, whether it’s Usyk or whether it’s anybody else,” Wilder added.
