Wilder, previously WBC world champion and one of heavyweight boxing's most feared, has struggled since losing his trilogy fight with Tyson Fury. The American has since suffered back-to-back stoppage defeats to Joseph Parker in 2023 and Zhilei Zhang in 2024, taking a year out before returning with a seventh-round win against little-known Tyrrell Anthony Herndon. But despite his status slipping, Usyk still sees the Bronze Bomber as a marquee name for his next bout.
I was too patient, and yeah, that was something I didn't realize. I waited too much for a counter, too much waiting for a counter, because I thought that will be there," Prochazka (32-5-1) admitted following the fight, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. His thinking was "I'm on the place, I will catch him really clearly with the counter.
"Because his base is wrestle then Jiu Jitsu, my base is Jiu Jitsu then wrestle, I think it just has a different dynamic when it comes to the grappling aspect," Ortega told reporters on Wednesday. "He's looking for certain things, and I'm looking for other things."