Deontay Wilder Is Talking Usyk, but Gassiev Looks More Real

Deontay Wilder says he’s in talks for a title fight with Oleksandr Usyk next year. He also says he wouldn’t mind fighting Murat Gassiev.

Wilder was in Dubai to watch Gassiev stop Kubrat Pulev and pick up the WBA’s secondary “regular” belt. Usyk still holds the main title.

Speaking to Boxing Social, Wilder congratulated Gassiev and praised the knockout.

“That was a beautiful left hook,” Wilder said. “Very sneaky.”

Wilder’s own situation is less clear. He’s coming off a knockout win over Tyrrell Anthony Herndon in June, a fight he needed after a rough stretch. Before that, he dropped four of his previous five bouts, including losses to Tyson Fury, Joseph Parker, and Zhilei Zhang.

He’s still active. He’s still talking. But there’s no clear path laid out in front of him right now. At 40, he isn’t being pushed toward a title fight by the rankings, and there’s been no timetable attached to the Usyk idea.

A fight with Gassiev would be easier to make. It’s realistic. It’s also the kind of matchup that keeps Wilder in the picture while the top of the division sorts itself out.

For now, that’s all this is. Conversation. Compliments. And a few different doors that may or may not open.