“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.

During a recent interview, the unbeaten former five-weight world champion declared that he remains “the face of boxing” despite turning 50 years old.

Floyd Mayweather built his career on proving doubters wrong. His latest claim, however, may be one of the few that doesn’t hold up.

Many of today’s younger fans never watched him compete in a meaningful championship fight. They know him more through social media clips, luxury lifestyle posts and exhibitions than through victories over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley or Manny Pacquiao.

The fighters driving the sport today are active champions such as Oleksandr Usyk, Jaron “Boots” Ennis, Naoya Inoue, David Benavidez and others who are building the next era.

Mayweather’s exhibitions also haven’t become must-watch events. The exception was his crossover bout with YouTuber Logan Paul, which owed much of its mainstream appeal to Paul’s enormous online following. Since then, exhibitions against lesser-known opponents have generated relatively modest attention outside dedicated boxing media.

A possible exhibition with Mike Tyson or a rematch with Manny Pacquiao would undoubtedly attract headlines, but those would be nostalgia events featuring legendary names rather than evidence that Mayweather still sits at the center of the sport.

His own comments also made it clear where his focus lies.

“If I’m able to steal some extra money, why not?” Mayweather said to Come and Talk 2 Me channel when asked about returning to the ring, adding that exhibitions are about entertaining fans while continuing to earn lucrative purses.

That approach makes perfect business sense.

At 50 years old and nearly a decade removed from his last professional fight, exhibitions allow Mayweather to remain active without taking on the risks posed by today’s elite welterweights and junior middleweights. The speed, reflexes and defensive reactions that defined his career inevitably diminish with age, making exhibitions a far more practical option than a return to championship boxing.

Mayweather’s legacy is secure regardless of what he does next. But being one of the greatest fighters in history is different from being the face of today’s boxing landscape. Boxing has reached the point where Mayweather is part of its history, not its present.

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.