Wilder had previously been linked with a clash with the Ukrainian champion before negotiations cooled down.

Usyk considered the possibility of fighting Wilder earlier this year after he declined interest in fighting Fabio Wardley and walked away from one of his belts. Discussions about a heavyweight bout continued for months, but the fight never reached the contract stage.

The landscape changed quickly. Usyk is now expected to defend his title against kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven in May in Egypt, part of a plan that he says includes three more fights before retiring.

Also on that shortlist is a possible meeting with the winner of Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois, as well as a third fight with Tyson Fury. Wilder’s name was not mentioned.

The former WBC heavyweight champion said the omission surprised him.

“Oh, Deontay Wilder isn’t there? He changed course,” Wilder said Daily mail.

Wilder suggested his reputation as one of the most hazardous punchers in the division may have played a role.

“Most of the time when people meet me and see me, there is an intimidation factor,” Wilder said.

Still, he insisted the situation wasn’t changing his direction.

“We’ll see if it happens, if it doesn’t happen it won’t ruin my dreams,” Wilder said. “I’m still here whether he’s here or not. No matter who’s here, I’m not here for any other fighter in the division.”

Wilder’s immediate attention now turns to another task. The American boxer is scheduled to face veteran Derek Chisora ​​on April 4 in London. This fight took place after prolonged negotiations with Usyk.

Wilder said the timetable for Usyk discussions was simply moving too slowly for a player at his stage of the game.

“Even though we were in talks with Usyk, we still didn’t have a date or a place, we were still hanging around,” Wilder said. talkSPORT.

“In boxing, everything is very tardy or very rapid. There is no in between. And this was very tardy.”

At the age of 40, Wilder said waiting was not an option.

“I’m an older player; I can’t sit idly by like a teenage player. So when we were negotiating with Usyk, we started negotiating with Chisora.”

By the time talks with Usyk resumed, the contract with Chisora ​​had already been finalized.

“And then when we signed the contract with Chisora, then Usyk’s people came and said, ‘OK, let’s go, we’re ready,'” Wilder said. “But I had no intention of doing Chisora ​​like that.”

Wilder is now focused on the fight in London. Chisora ​​remains one of the division’s most persistent pressure fighters, a man who forces exchanges and keeps the pace high.

The task is clear. Wilder still has a right hand that can end the fight the moment it lands. Now he needs to start stringing together wins if he wants his name to come up again when heavyweight belts are up for grabs.

Deontay Wilder responded after Oleksandr Usyk gave up targeting a fight with the “Bronze Bomber”.

For several months, it seemed that the former WBC world heavyweight champion Wilder was one step away from a final showdown with unified heavyweight king Usykbut instead the two men went in different directions.

Wilder returns to action on April 4 when he faces fellow heavyweight veteran Derek Chisora ​​at the O2 Arena in London, while Usyk will defend his WBC heavyweight title in a controversial fight against kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza on May 23.

Usyk recently made his future intentions clear, stating that he plans to face Verhoeven, the winner of Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois, and then with Tyson Fury.

With this in mind, Wilder told Daily Mail Boxing that he believes Usyk may have changed his mind after being intimidated when they met.

“Deontay Wilder is not there? Maybe he changed course. Most of the time when people meet me and see me, there is an intimidation factor.

“We’ll see. If it doesn’t happen, it won’t ruin my dreams. I’m still here, whether he’s here or not. It doesn’t matter who’s here. I’m not here for any of these other guys in the division. I’m here for my goals and what I want to do with my life.”

Usyk may still change his mind and decide to fight Wilder, but first the “Bronze Bomber” must defeat Chisora ​​next month.

Edgar Berlanga continues to talk about the Chris Eubank Jr. fight on social media, keeping the fight in the spotlight even though no official deal has been confirmed.

The super middleweight has repeatedly posted about a potential fight, suggesting it could happen later this year in London.

Berlanga’s activities have led some fans to believe that talks may be going further behind the scenes than has been publicly acknowledged.

So far, however, neither side has announced an agreement. Organizers and broadcasters have yet to confirm anything formally, leaving the situation in limbo despite Berlanga’s persistent teasing about the fight online.

Berlanga vs. Eubank Jr

Reports earlier this year indicated that there were discussions about a possible fight, although one sticking point appeared to be the lack of agreement on the weight limit.

Eubank Jr is said to have favored a catchweight closer to 164 pounds, while Berlanga preferred the full 168-pound limit at super middleweight.

This puts the fight in a strange position. There is a lot of talk about it on the Internet, but there is still no official confirmation.

A logical fight for both sides

The fight may come at a good time for both fighters.

For Eubank Jr. it would be a chance to move back up in weight and re-establish himself in the super middleweight division after two tough fights to gain 160 pounds in his fights with Conor Benn, both of which had an additional hydration clause.

If Eubank performs well against Canelo Alvarez’s former opponent, it could push him back to the top of the list of potential rivals for the Mexican star, which was first floated as a potential route a few years ago.

Berlanga has his own reasons for wanting this fight.

The Brooklyn fighter burst onto the scene with sixteen straight first-round knockouts, but he still has to rediscover the form that made him a star after several impoverished performances and a bad showing against Hamzah Sheeraz, another potential future Eubank Jr. opponent.

Meeting Eubank, who has shown weaknesses that could give Berlanga confidence, could be the perfect window to see “The Chosen One” outside the United States.

Until something is signed and announced, the potential clash remains one of those state-of-the-art boxing stories that get talked about on the internet before the official website catches up.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.