Oleksandr Usyk Must Beat Deontay Wilder, Says David Haye

Former heavyweight champion David Haye praised Oleksandr Usyk’s unbeaten achievements, noting that the Ukrainian has won the undisputed cruiserweight titles by defeating Krzysztof Glowacki, Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev, and later became a two‑time undisputed heavyweight champion with victories over Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois. Haye added that Usyk “would have hung with the best” of past legends such as Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis.

Ahead of Usyk’s upcoming exhibition against former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Haye argued that the only remaining fight to fully cement Usyk’s legacy is a bout with Deontay Wilder. He claimed that defeating Wilder, despite the latter’s recent decline, would complete Usyk’s résumé of beating every dominant champion of his era.