Deontay Wilder has gone toe-to-toe with plenty of heavy hitters over the years, but there is one Frenchman who left a stronger impression than most.
Towards the back end of 2025, there were signs that Deontay Wilder might make a return to boxing with a fight against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
But ‘The Predator’ put himself out of reach financially and the bout never came together – nor does it seem likely it ever will. As things turned out, it seems like a good thing in hindsight for ‘The Bronze Bomber’.
Instead of facing someone as inexperienced as Ngannou, Wilder is now on track to face three-belt heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk, adding another big name to his impressive list of opponents.
Deontay Wilder names the most powerful puncher he has fought
Across his 49-fight career, the Alabama native has shared the ring with some of the biggest names in boxing, including Tyson Fury and Zhilei Zhang.
Like Fury, Usyk is known more for his exceptional skill and ring intelligence than knockout power. But Wilder has gone up against plenty of heavy hitters over the years.
Zhang is often mentioned among today’s hardest punchers, but there is another fighter who left an even stronger impression on Wilder.
“I can remember the feeling in the ring with Johann Duhaupas, the Frenchman,” ‘The Bronze Bomber’ told Vegas Insider.
“Every time he hit me with his jab, I kept saying in my head, ‘God d––, he hit hard. He got grit in his gloves.’ He was the only fighter who made me really think like that. Every time I got hit, I thought, ‘Damn, that hurt.’”
The fight happened back in 2015 during Wilder’s second defense of his WBC heavyweight title. Despite taking some heavy shots from Duhaupas – who at that point had never been stopped – Wilder managed to score an 11th-round stoppage win.
Oleksandr Usyk’s team shares timeline for potential Wilder fight
Usyk’s decision to target Wilder raised a few eyebrows, given the American’s recent struggles inside the ring.
But the 38-year old still views him as a top heavyweight and wants to test himself against another name from his era.
With the new year just underway, Usyk’s manager has given an update on when the fight might happen, suggesting they are looking at dates in April or May.
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