One day after Usyk opted to keep his Ring title but vacated his IBF, WBA and WBC belts, Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn, who promoted the Ukrainian for an extended period of his career, shed some light onto what he understands to be Usyk’s thinking and preferred next move heading into the “last dance.”

“He's earned the right to do whatever he wants. So, he's going to fight Wilder next, I believe,” Hearn said during a press conference on Saturday. “That's just the fight that he wants to take. He'll just go to all bidders and say, ‘Where's the most amount of money I can get for that fight?’ And that will be him done.

"I think maybe he's realizing, does he want to be put under pressure of an ordered fight, a 28-day negotiation, a purse bid, and then taking part in the fight in the next 90 days? Does he want to go to Germany and fight Agit Kabayel? You know, is he slipping? I don't know, but I think he's earned the right to do whatever he wants.”

Usyk and Wilder were in negotiations in December to stage a fight, but a deal never crossed the finish line.

Wilder (45-4-1, 43 KOs) moved on to fight Derek Chisora in April and scored a decision win in a sloppy slugfest between faded veterans. “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder, who turns 41 in October, is 3-4 after his five-year reign as the WBC titleholder concluded in 2020.

Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs), The Ring’s No. 2-rated pound-for-pound fighter, turns 40 in January and is coming off a tougher-than-expected fight and 11th-round stoppage win against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven last month in Egypt.