Oleksandr Usyk didn’t leave Saudi Arabia in a blaze or a feud. He just stopped answering the phone. That’s usually how it ends when the money cools and the leverage shifts. Three fights in the desert. Belts kept. Boxes ticked. Then the attention moved on.
The interest wasn’t mutual anymore.
Manager Klimas is saying the next fight won’t be in Riyadh. He says another group in the U.S. is handling the next move.
Riyadh Season
Riyadh got what it wanted. Big nights. Global eyes. History moments. Usyk got paid and kept control. Once the numbers stopped matching the risk, the relationship lost its reason to exist.
The talk around Moses Itauma tells you everything. The focus shifted to the next long-term project. Usyk is a finished product. You don’t invest in the finished product unless the return is massive.
It isn’t anymore.
So the door stays unlocked but no one’s walking through it right now.
Why the U.S. makes sense again
Klimas didn’t dress it up. He didn’t pretend there were offers on the table. He just said talks are happening. That’s promoter language for “we’re seeing who still needs him.”
And some do.
Top Rank knows what Usyk brings. PBC knows what a heavyweight with credibility does for their schedule. Even Golden Boy wouldn’t mind borrowing relevance for a night.
The Wilder angle won’t die
Like it or not, Deontay Wilder still sells danger.
Usyk knows that. Everyone does.
That fight carries risk without long-term reward, which is exactly why it keeps resurfacing. It’s the kind of fight that makes sense only when you’re nearing the end and want one more serious check without committing to a long campaign.
Usyk still moves well. Still sees everything. But reflex goes before heart, and everyone in the business knows it.
Where this actually leaves things
The U.S. offers options. Saudi Arabia offered scale. Right now, scale doesn’t matter.
If the right number appears, he’ll fight. If not, he’ll wait. He’s earned that.
No speeches. No announcements. Just quiet movement behind the scenes.
That’s how the end usually starts.