He became the undisputed cruiserweight champion. He moved to heavyweight and defeated Anthony Joshua twice. He conquered Tyson Fury twice. He stopped Daniel Dubois twice and claimed the undisputed heavyweight championship, twice. He accepted difficult assignments when easier alternatives existed.

Now, as retirement approaches, it appears Usyk may finally be making a decision based on what he wants rather than what boxing expects.

Reports that the undefeated Ukrainian is in talks to end his career against former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder have surprised some in the boxing world. The move would bypass a rematch with Rico Verhoeven and eliminate any possibility of a showdown against Agit Kabayel.

Once Usyk made a decision to vacate his WBC, IBF, WBA titles – the writing was on the wall that retirement was coming sooner than later.

There are legitimate reasons to question the move.

Kabayel earned his opportunity by steadily climbing the rankings while others stumbled. Many believed he deserved the chance to test himself against the division's king.

The Verhoeven rematch also carried a degree of intrigue. Their first meeting generated significant attention by bringing together two of combat sports' most accomplished champions. Their contest ended with controversy — as Rico and his fans would firmly claim the showdown was waved off too soon.

Usyk appears drawn toward the one opponent whose name has lingered throughout his heavyweight career without ever becoming reality: Wilder.

The supreme technician against arguably the hardest one-punch puncher of his generation. For years it was timing, politics and competing obligations that kept the fight from being pursued on a serious level. Now it may finally happen — only at the very end.

Some will argue the fight comes years too late. Wilder is no longer the terrifying knockout machine who flattened contender after contender during his reign as WBC champion. Some of that aura has faded following his Fury trilogy and subsequent setbacks.

But names still matter. Even though he’s past the prime of his career, Wilder remains one of the sport's most recognizable heavyweights. Casual fans and American audiences know him. His right hand remains dangerous enough to create genuine suspense every second the fight lasts. All of that matters when building a farewell event.

And that's where opinions split. Should a legendary champion spend his final fight satisfying mandatory obligations? Or should he choose the biggest available attraction after already proving everything that needed proving?

A few years ago, this decision would have been difficult to defend. Today, it's easier. Usyk has already cleaned out his era. There isn't a rival left demanding closure, a controversial loss needing redemption or another championship waiting to be won. His résumé already stands among the greatest produced by any heavyweight in modern history.

A victory over Wilder would not necessarily improve that legacy — but it would create one final global event that reaches beyond boxing's hardcore audience.

There's another reason the fight makes sense. Throughout his career, Usyk defeated virtually every style imaginable: pressure fighters, technicians, punchers, bigger men and younger contenders. Only Wilder's unique blend of awkward unpredictability and devastating power remain absent from that collection.

It may no longer be prime versus prime nor may it determine the world's best heavyweight. But it would answer one final "what if?" before Usyk closes the book on one of boxing's greatest careers.

Some fans are entitled to prefer Kabayel. And others may have wanted the Rico rematch. Neither viewpoint is unreasonable. Yet retirement belongs to the fighter, not the public.

After years of taking on every meaningful challenge placed before him, Usyk has earned the right to script his own ending. If that ending comes against Wilder, it may not satisfy every boxing purist. But after everything the Ukrainian has already accomplished, perhaps the final chapter no longer needs to.