WBC approve voluntary title defense for Oleksandr Usyk vs Deontay Wilder

Following yesterday’s news that heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk was targeting an unexpected fight against Deontay Wilder going forward, the WBC has paved way for this to take place with the organization formally granting him permission to make a voluntary title defense against Wilder after bumping him up into their top 10 in the division.

“Deontay Wilder is ranked No 8 or 9 so he’s eligible to challenge Oleksandr Usyk if they wish to do so. Usyk did petition for a voluntary defence which was granted today,” said WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman.

Obviously many will see this as cynical move by the WBC considering Wilder lost four of his last five fights (three by stoppage) before coming back with a soft-touch win over Tyrrell Herndon this past summer. How that win magically propelled him into the top 10 rankings several month’s later is anyone’s guess (well, not really) but this is generally how the sport operates.

Team Usyk executive Serhii Lapin shared these thoughts on why a Wilder fight is intriguing to them, essentially reiterating what Usyk himself has said about the prospective matchup.

“Beating a man like that strengthens Usyk’s legacy and closes another important chapter in heavyweight history. This isn’t just a fight. It’s an event that draws massive attention from fans, the media and the entire industry.”

Realistically, if this is a fight that Usyk is intent on pursuing it will likely come to fruition as it’ll likely be the biggest payday available to Wilder at this point in his career, whether or not there’s any legitimate intrigue about it being a fight he has any hope in winning.