Oleksandr Usyk has decided not to face Fabio Wardley but has now given his views on the British fighter.
Usyk is history’s first-ever two-time undisputed heavyweight world champion in the four-belt era. On his way to picking up all four major belts, he has beaten Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, all twice, with the most recent victory coming by KO in August over ‘DDD’.
Since then, he has been out of the ring and then decided to vacate the WBO belt rather than face his mandatory challenger Wardley, who got into that position with a KO win over Joseph Parker.
He was down on the cards by many people’s reckoning but pulled out a big KO in the late rounds, which saw him become the interim champion before being promoted to full champion when Usyk relinquished his strap.
Speaking to Boxing King Media, Usyk explained why he was not surprised when Wardley beat Parker.
“No, no, for me not surprised because I work with Wardley. I think he’s a good fighter and great guy. I respect this guy, because this guy does a lot of work with his body. Lots of training, I think he’s a great man.”
In 2026, Wardley will be looking to make his first defence of the belt, likely in the spring, with potential opponents named so far including the likes of Dubois, Joshua, Filip Hrgovic or Zhilei Zhang.
Usyk, meanwhile, has said he wants to fight on, with American former champion and fearsome puncher Deontay Wilder one possible opponent.
