Oleksandr Usyk wants Deontay Wilder to be his next opponent.
The world heavyweight champion wants to put his WBC, WBA and IBF belts on the line against the American, who he has described as "one of the great heavyweights of the last 10 years."
Usyk has not fought since beating Daniel Dubois in July to become undisputed world champion for the second time, and has been linked with a trilogy fight against Tyson Fury, who he has twice beaten in the past.
But it is big-hitting Wilder who Usyk has named as his preferred opponent for 2026.
Usyk told Boxing King Media: "I want to fight Deontay Wilder. I think it's interesting.
"This is a world champion guy, this is a very famous guy, this is a strong guy. He is one of the great heavyweights of the last 10 years."
Wilder has welcomed the proposition.
"Usyk is a great champion," Wilder's co-manager Shelly Finkel told Sky Sports. "We have plans for next year and we'd like Oleksandr Usyk to be part of them.
"If we receive the right offer, we would be open to that fight."
After beating Dubois, Usyk was ordered by the WBO to fight their interim champion at the time, Joseph Parker, but the Ukrainian delayed the fight by citing injury.
Parker went on to fight British fighter Fabio Wardley to determine who would become WBO mandatory challenger to Usyk, and lost.
The New Zealander then tested positive for a banned substance, reportedly cocaine, taken ahead of the bout, throwing his future in the sport into doubt. Parker denies any wrongdoing.
Usyk has since vacated his WBO belt, elevating Wardley to world champion in the process. Usyk has confirmed he was interested in facing Parker but has not ruled out a future fight with Wardley.
"A win for Parker, for me it's interesting - a win for Wardley was for me not interesting," said Usyk. "Maybe later we fight together, a big fight.
"I really respect this guy because he's done a lot of work with his body and his team, training all the time. I think it's great."
Usyk is keen to win back his WBO belt, vowing to unify all four major titles again in the future.
He added: "Some people are saying I'm not undisputed champion anymore. Well, that is only temporary."
