Wilder's Camp Says Yes To Usyk — 'It Would Be An Honour'

• Deontay Wilder's co-manager Shelly Finkel says the American would welcome a fight with Oleksandr Usyk — "it would be an honour"
• The response comes after Usyk vacated his heavyweight titles to freely pick a "last dance" opponent
• Luke's verdict: make it — Usyk by decision, but Wilder's right hand keeps it terrifying until the last bell

Wilder's Corner Says The Magic Word: Yes

Right then, this is the one the romantics have been waiting on. After Oleksandr Usyk vacated his heavyweight belts and made it clear he wants freedom to pick a proper last dance, Deontay Wilder's camp has answered — co-manager Shelly Finkel saying Deontay "would welcome the opportunity" and that it "would be an honour" to share a ring with the Ukrainian great. Music to the ears, that.

Why This One Actually Makes Sense

Let's not beat around the bush: on paper, styles-wise, this is fascinating. Usyk is the finest boxer-mover of the era, a southpaw with a computer for a brain and feet that don't stop. Wilder is the single most destructive right hand the heavyweight division has produced in a generation. You don't need to be a genius to see the drama — every second Usyk is in front of that right hand is a second of pure jeopardy. That's a fight that sells itself.

The Catch In The Small Print

Course, there's always a catch. "If the terms were right" is doing an awful lot of heavy lifting in Finkel's quote, and anyone who's followed this sport knows that's negotiating language as much as it's a green light. Usyk has walked away from mandatories precisely so he can hand-pick nights like this, so the appetite is there on both sides — but appetite and a signed contract are very different animals in boxing.

Is It Too Late, Or Right On Time?

Make no mistake, both men are deep into the back nine of their careers, and some will say this should've happened three years ago. I hear that. But there's a version of this fight — Usyk chasing a fairytale send-off, Wilder chasing one last iconic knockout to remind everyone who he is — that's got proper big-event energy. If you know, you know: a Wilder right hand never goes stale, and that alone keeps this live.

My Verdict

No fence-sitting here. Make it. If the money and the terms land, this is a genuine event and the boxing world would tune in en masse. As for who wins — I lean Usyk on points, because his movement, his ring IQ and his engine are exactly the qualities that have frustrated big punchers his whole career, and he's done it to bigger, sharper men than a late-career Wilder. But — and it's a giant but — Deontay carries the equaliser in his glove until the final bell. Twelve rounds of Usyk boxing beautifully, and one Wilder bomb that changes everything. I'll take Usyk by decision, and I won't breathe easy for a single round.