ANALYTICAL: WHY OLEKSANDR USYK WILL FIGHT DEONTAY WILDER OVER MANDATORY FOES
After conquering Joshua and Fury, Usyk is eyeing the last great heavyweight of his era, Deontay Wilder, for what could be his final blockbuster fight before retirement.
After a truly great career, Oleksandr Usyk has his sights set on one more heavyweight bout.
Back in 2019, when Usyk moved to heavyweight, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Deontay Wilder were the top dogs. Joshua had a brief setback against Andy Ruiz Jr. but quickly bounced back to reclaim his titles.
Usyk then took those belts from Joshua just two fights into his heavyweight stint and cemented his dominance in the rematch. After becoming the undisputed champ by defeating Fury, only one big name from that era remains.
Usyk is eyeing Deontay Wilder next, especially since he was stripped of his title.
As the 2010s wrapped up and the 2020s started, Wilder was seen as the hardest hitter and most feared champ in the heavyweight division. With a record of 40-0 and 39 KOs, Wilder almost knocked out Fury, but Fury somehow recovered and managed a draw.
Since that first fight with Fury, things haven't gone so well for Wilder, as his weaknesses became clear. He had two fights before his second clash with Fury, but Fury knocked him out in early 2020.
Since then, Fury stopped him again in their third fight. After a brutal knockout of Robert Helenius, Wilder suffered two more losses. Joseph Parker beat him easily, and Zhilei Zhang knocked him down within five rounds.
Even with all that, Usyk wants to give Wilder another shot at a title, saying, I want to fight Deontay Wilder. I think it’s interesting.
He added, He’s a world champion, a very famous and strong guy. He is one of the great heavyweights of the last 10 years.”
NEW ERA: JON JONES EYES MVP JUMP AS UFC RELATIONSHIP HITS BREAKING POINT
Jon Jones hits back at the UFC, demanding his contract be terminated to pursue new opportunities at Most Valuable Promotions.
Jake Paul says he’s ready to promote Jon Jones if Dana White lets him walk away from the UFC.
Jones wanted a spot on the big UFC White House card in June. He hinted that the promotion even reached out about an appearance. Most people thought they’d finally line him up against Alex Pereira, who just moved up to heavyweight, but Pereira’s fighting Cyril Gane instead.
Then Dana White went public, basically saying Jones is done with the UFC and retired from MMA. That didn’t sit well with Jones. He fired back, demanding a release so he could look at other opportunities.
If he gets out of that ironclad contract, Jake Paul’s new MMA project with Most Valuable Promotions is a real option. Paul’s already signed Jones’ long-time rival, Francis Ngannou, who’s set to fight Philipe Lins on their debut card in May. Now, Paul says he’d happily work with Jones too.
At a press conference, Paul put it out there: “Jon, you’re always welcome to come over to MVP. We’ll get it popping, and we’ll get you paid what you deserve.”
Honestly, Paul trying to lure Jones over feels possible, especially since Jones has wanted to fight Ngannou for years. The fight has been teased both inside and outside the UFC, but it has never materialised.
Paul’s clearly gunning to shake up the UFC’s grip on MMA, so who knows, an offer to Jones could be coming soon.
But can Jones actually fight again? Lately, he’s talked about hip problems that have made people doubt his future. He hasn’t fought since defending his title in November 2024 against Stipe Miocic. Still, he says the injury won’t stop him.
On social media, Jones said, “Yeah, I’ve got arthritis in my hip, and it hurts, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight. So let me get this straight: if I took the lowball offer, my hip would magically be fine, and I’d be on the White House card? That makes no sense. I even got stem cell treatment last week to be ready, and training camp was supposed to start today. I was getting prepared. If the UFC really thinks I’m finished, I’m asking to be released from my contract right now. No more spin, no more games. Thanks to the real fans who get it.”
REVENGE MISSION: EDDIE HEARN SIGNS UFC CHAMP TOM ASPINALL AFTER LOSING CONOR BENN
Eddie Hearn strikes back: Read about Tom Aspinall signing with Matchroom, Conor Benn’s $15M Zuffa deal, and the Dana White rivalry.
Dana White, the boss at UFC and the man behind Zuffa Boxing, just snagged Conor Benn away from Eddie Hearn. Although if we’re being honest, Benn did a lot of the heavy lifting himself with that $15 million price tag.
White was quick to celebrate, maybe a little too loudly, especially on the UFC side, but Hearn didn’t let him have the spotlight for long. Not even a week later, Hearn fired back by announcing he’d signed UFC heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall to the Matchroom Talent Agency.
This back-and-forth between Hearn and White is turning into one of the more interesting rivalries in combat sports right now.
Zuffa Boxing’s move to grab Benn for a one-fight, $15 million deal definitely made waves. Benn, after all, spent ten years fighting under Hearn’s banner before jumping ship. Hearn hasn’t been shy about how much the move stings, especially since he’s been trading barbs with White nonstop.
But Hearn’s not just sitting around feeling sorry for himself. He went public on Instagram, welcoming Aspinall to the Matchroom squad. “Welcome to the team, UFC Heavyweight Champ @tomaspinallofficial,” Hearn posted. “Time to get what’s yours @matchroomtalentagency.”
It’s just the latest shot in their ongoing feud. White’s been out there calling Hearn soft for getting emotional about Benn leaving. Hearn, never one to back down, fired back in an interview, saying White doesn’t care about his fighters at all.
“I hear people’s comments, like Dana White calling me names and Terence Crawford asking if I actually care about these guys,” Hearn said. “I’m not saying I’m perfect, but we’re not like Dana White and his crew. They don’t give a damn about the fighters.
“Have you ever seen Dana White show any emotion when someone wins? He just hands over the belt, does a press conference, then heads home to his mansion with a cigar and a glass of whisky, thinking, ‘Life is sweet; we just made $800 million this year.’”
So what do you think about Tom Aspinall teaming up with Hearn’s agency? Is this a good move for Aspinall, or is it going to cause problems down the line? Let’s hear your thoughts.
