Deontay Wilder has confirmed that negotiations are ongoing for a potential heavyweight title fight against unified champion Oleksandr Usyk next year, but the former WBC titleholder is also keeping his options open, as one alternative is former cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev.
Gassiev recently made a statement at heavyweight by stopping Kubrat Pulev in six rounds on December 12 in Dubai to claim the WBA’s secondary “regular” title. Usyk holds the full WBA belt, but Gassiev’s performance was enough to impress Wilder, who was in attendance for the bout and praised the Russian afterward.
“Congratulations to Gassiev,” Wilder said when asked about the fight. “I think that would be an amazing fight.” He singled out the finishing shot in particular, calling the left hook that ended the contest “very sneaky.”
For Wilder, discussions about future opponents come at a pivotal moment in his career. The 40-year-old has endured a difficult stretch, losing four of his past five fights against Tyson Fury twice, Joseph Parker, and Zhilei Zhang. His seventh-round knockout of Tyrrell Anthony Herndon on June 27 was viewed as a necessary confidence boost after that run.
Despite talk of a Usyk showdown, Wilder remains some distance from formal title contention. Among the major sanctioning bodies, only the WBC currently ranks him in the top 15, placing him at No. 13. Still, Wilder appears content to assess his opportunities as negotiations continue, while keeping an eye on potential matchups like a clash with Gassiev.
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