"Deontay Wilder is ranked eighth or ninth, so he has the right to challenge Oleksandr Usyk if they want to. Usyk has submitted a voluntary defense request," WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said in a Sky Sports report monitored in Jakarta on Thursday.
Usyk's plea for voluntary defense was approved by the WBC on Wednesday (3/12).
Usyk has never lost, but he is no longer the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world after relinquishing the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title he held since 2021, when he first defeated Anthony Joshua.
However, the Ukrainian remains the heavyweight champion, unifying the WBC, World Boxing Association (WBA), and International Boxing Federation (IBF) titles, and has filed a voluntary defense of his WBC belt.
Usyk's Team Chief Executive Serhii Lapin explains why a fight against Wilder, even at this mature stage of the American's career, is appealing to the heavyweight world champion.
"Wilder is a huge name who will add to Usyk's impressive list of accomplishments. He's one of the most dangerous fighters of his generation, a former world champion, and a boxer known throughout the boxing world," he said.
He said that beating a fighter like Wilder would cement Usyk's legacy and close another important chapter in heavyweight history.
"This isn't just a fight. This is an event that attracts huge attention from fans, the media, and the entire industry," he said.
Wilder, the most famous heavyweight boxer in the United States, held the WBC title from 2015 to 2020, when he first lost to Tyson Fury.
He reclaimed the belt in his third fight, and in recent years he has been defeated by both Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.
Wilder returned with a win over Tyrell Anthony Herndon in June, and now ranks inside the top 10 of the WBC. Usyk could potentially defend his title against Wilder.
