Wilder can 100% knock out Usyk or any other heavyweight for that matter but will he, probably not. I’m probably the biggest Wilder fan and biggest Usyk hater (although he’s growing on me) on here and even I think that Usyk wins with 99% chance. The only chance I see Wilder have is if Usyk completely underestimates Wilder and doesn’t train at all and just party throughout the training camp and Wilder come to the fight in gangster shape, but even then it’s in Usyks favor.
Wilder most probably punches (or more properly punchED) harder than Joshua and he had a decent quick jab. Usyk - Wilder would've been a great fight 4-6 years ago... but now? Yawn. Wilder came in at around 214 lb vs 282 lb tank Zhang and looked scared and helpless. That shows you what kind of mindset he's got now too. I don't know what Malik Scott did for him either except ruining his self esteem and fundamentals.
Certainly Wilder can KO Usyk. That's if Usyk stands still for several seconds with his hands down and his chin protruding out. Wanna take any odds on that happening... ?
Power is the last thing to go, and Wilder has one-punch KO power. Usyk and Wilder will be close to the same age (Usyk 39, Wilder 40). It's ALWAYS possible to land a lucky punch. But it's unlikely that Wilder will be able to deal with Usyk's defensive skills.
And just as importantly, his offensive skills. He's not going to get time to think, he's not going to get time to plant his feet and swing wildly... And that pretty much takes the KO off the table. This is going to be very one sided - the most complete fighter of the generation by far against... Well, not so much a one-trick pony as an arthritic one-trick three-legged donkey.
Realistically no, but hypothetically... Let's assume Wilder hasn't actually lost his power and that his issue is not letting his hands go. This is realistically the last title shot he'll ever get, realistically the last big fight he'll ever get (other than possibly Ituama or Jake Paul). Wilder has shown a solid chin, solid recovery, and a willingness to go out on his shield. If I'm his trainer and can properly motivate him, my plan is throw caution to the wind, laugh a right at EVERY single opening he sees without worry of what comes back. If he's eating counters, so be it. He'll have ONE punch if he's lucky, so he needs to take every conceivable chance to land it. I don't think it'll happen because I don't think Wilder has it in him anymore. But that would be my goal for him.
Lol. Breazele is proof of nothing. I'll ask Molina and Szpilka, who he took 9 rounds each to beat...Duhaupas and Washington, who finished on their feet. Wilder is a can crusher.
Realistically no and hypothetically... No. It's not that he doesn't have "it in him anymore" - it's that he never did, not at Usyk level. You're right that he has his best chance if he throws caution to the wind, but it would only ever have been a very slim chance for him. And whilst you're right about his heart... I'm not seeing the evidence for a solid chin or solid recovery - okay at best in both categories, but a solid chin and recovery takes a lot more punishment and accumulation to get stopped by a not particularly hard puncher like Fury (Chisora took a lot more, for example).
But, if you're his trainer, what do you do once this is signed? I assume Wilder would like to actually attempt to win. I don't see any conceivable plan other than mine. You're not going to train Wilder to be able to win rounds (or even a single round) against Usyk. Wilder wins via KO or he doesn't win. Zero caution. Go for broke with every right hand. In camp... maybe practice throwing shots from weird angles? Find some technically sound southpaws for sparring, send them in there with explicit instructions to piece Wilder up, frustrate him, make him look bad, get Wilder used to being badly outboxed while looking for the one punch. During the fight, maybe just take a knee when getting beaten up? The score doesn't matter for Wilder, so might as well use knees strategically if need be. It's a fun thought experiment. I'd much rather run it with Wardley, as I know he's not going to go in there and be gunshy, but right now I've got Wilder.
A better question would be if Wilder can last all the rounds against Usyk without getting knocked out, so there is no chance of Wilder knocking out Usyk...
Slightly sarcastic, but equally... Realistic... I'd say whatever made him happy and kept the cheques rolling in. Lets be sensible about this - we know he doesn't listen to his trainers and just wants yes-men to confirm what he already believes... If you're in that position, you have a choice between challenging him and trying to get him to realistically evaluate his chances on the one hand, and staying in a job on the other. No doubt he'd like to win - whether he's realistically willing to listen to someone to get his best shot is another question though. You're not necessarily wrong - it's just that we're talking about an untrainable fighter who was never all that good and certainly isn't now. And if I were his trainer and he'd actually listen, and set pride aside... I'd probably be looking at how to survive with minimal damage - whilst remaining saleable. Thing is, he only has the one big punch - with feet planted, telegraphed like mad and swinging for the hills... Throwing from angles and developing punch selection - and getting real power on them? As nice as it sounds... Is it realistic, even if he had a top trainer? Can he actually listen or learn? It's not often I compliment him... But he's too proud/stubborn for that. Doesn't matter that he's getting paid the same either way, he'll put pride before long term health - which is good watching, but not too smart. Well, that and Wardley is learning and improving quite quickly by the looks of things... And his durability looks better. Either way... As you say... We've got Wilder.
In 2026 ? He is completely shot, due to age or other things, cannot even land a right hand anymore with power. He is not top 20 anymore. In his prime ? Wilder would not throw a punch and lose all rounds until he eventually lands a big one and if he can eventually hurt Usyk and finish him somehow, 1 % chance at max.
Lol, flukes happen. It'd be the biggest fluke in a very long time - way bigger than Rahman sparking Lewis - but it's not 100% impossible, just such a ridiculously low odds event that nobody sane would consider it realistically a possibility.