“If the terms were right, Deontay would welcome the opportunity to fight Usyk,” co-manager Shelly Finkel said to Sky Sports.

“Usyk is a great champion, and it would be an honor to fight him.”

The comments are the first public response from Wilder’s camp since Usyk’s team revealed its plans, and they align with the American’s own long-standing interest in the matchup.

Earlier this year, Wilder explained why facing Usyk remained one of his biggest career goals.

“He’s one of the best in the era. I do need him to accomplish what I need to accomplish,” said Deontay.

“It can happen, and it will happen. As long as I have the confidence to do what I have to do, it will happen.

“I must accomplish what I set forth in the beginning of my career.”

Usyk enters the proposed fight with a perfect professional record after defeating kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven in his final world title defense. His decision to relinquish three of the four major heavyweight belts allows the division to move forward while giving the 39-year-old freedom to pursue one last marquee bout.

A third fight with Tyson Fury is not expected. Sergey Lapin, CEO of Usyk’s promotional company Ready To Fight, recently said he sees little reason for another meeting after Usyk defeated Fury twice.

While Usyk has previously spoken about his dream of ending his career in Ukraine, his team believes a fight with Wilder would most likely take place in the United States, with Saudi Arabia also remaining a possible destination for one of boxing’s biggest remaining heavyweight attractions.

Teofimo Lopez backs one of the Four Kings to defeat Terence Crawford in a prime-for-prime welterweight battle.

‘Bud’ called time on his Hall of Fame-worthy career in December, just a few months removed from his unanimous decision victory over Canelo Alvarez.

Despite being made a pre-fight underdog, Crawford was able to dethrone the more natural super-middleweight to become a three-division undisputed champion.

His best performances arguably came at 147lbs, though, as the American scored seven straight stoppages before orchestrating a ninth-round finish over Errol Spence Jr in July 2023.

This victory alone has inspired many to compare Crawford with other welterweight greats, including the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Ray Leonard.

A particularly intriguing fantasy matchup, however, would be between the masterful switch-hitter and Thomas Hearns, who challenged Leonard for the WBC welterweight title in 1981.

Despite suffering a 14th-round stoppage defeat, ‘The Hitman’ was leading on all three judges’ scorecards and would eventually rematch Leonard in 1989, only for their super-middleweight contest to end in a controversial draw.

Standing at 6ft 1in, there are few that could have gotten the better of Hearns between 147 and 168lbs, where his only other defeats came against Marvin Hagler and Iran Barkley.

It is perhaps this size advantage that has inspired Lopez to favour Hearns over Crawford while speaking with Daily Mail Sport.

But it was also the jab of Hearns – a shot refined under the tutelage of Emanuel Steward – that could have posed problems for Crawford, whose 75in reach otherwise represented a key advantage throughout his illustrious career.

“Well, I think it’s more so the fighters’ teams. They’re trying to weigh out their options in terms of what would be the easiest route for them,” said Carrington to Chris Mannix’s channel. “For me, I’m the type of guy that knows I can beat everybody. I have the confidence that I can beat everyone, so it doesn’t matter who comes first.”

Carrington went a step further, saying the lack of movement toward unification is proof that other champions don’t fully believe in their own fighters.

“If these guys had that confidence in their fighter, then they would fight me next. But being that they don’t, they’re finding other alternative routes to reach the top or stay at the top before they fight me because they see that I’m a real threat,” said Carrington.

Those comments are unlikely to convince everyone.

Although Carrington remains unbeaten, many fans believe he has yet to face the type of opposition that justifies calling out the other titleholders. His January stoppage of Carlos Castro earned him the vacant WBC title, but Castro entered the fight coming off a loss and an 18-month layoff. Carrington also had to survive a difficult spell after being badly hurt before rallying for the stoppage.

His previous opponents have also done little to quiet the criticism. Mateus Heita arrived unbeaten but largely unknown on the world stage, while Enrique Vivas and Dana Coolwell were viewed as solid contenders rather than elite featherweights.

Carrington’s 2024 victory over Sulaiman Segawa remains another talking point. While he won a majority decision, many fans felt Segawa had done enough to deserve the verdict. Combined with the problems he encountered against Castro, those performances have led some to question whether Carrington is ready for the division’s top fighter.

That fighter, in the eyes of many, is WBO champion Rafael Espinoza.

Espinoza has strengthened his standing with victories over Robeisy Ramirez and Edward Vazquez and is widely regarded as the man to beat at 126 pounds. As a result, some fans have questioned why that fight has not materialized while Carrington has continued to face less established opposition.

Carrington, however, insists unification remains his goal and identified Espinoza and WBA champion Angelo Leo as the opponents he hopes to face before the end of the year.

Carrington’s explanation is unlikely to change many minds. The questions surrounding his resume won’t go away until he faces Espinoza or another established champion.