Oleksandr Usyk’s former promoter has pleaded with the heavyweight champion to retire.
Usyk struggled to victory over Rico Verhoeven last weekend, stopping the kickboxer in the 11th round. But until then the Ukrainian had struggled to impose himself and was behind on one of the three judges’ scorecards. Usyk plans to fight twice more before retiring and will be ordered to defend his titles against Agit Kabayel.
But Alex Krassyuk, who guided Usyk to become the undisputed world champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, wants the 39-year-old to retire immediately. “It was the roughest fight of his career,” he told Boxing King Media. “I had this prediction for myself; I saw Rico’s potential, his energy, how strong mentally he is. he has balls made of stone and that’s when I realised it’s not about the skills, its about the character. That’s when I realised he’s capable of the upset, he’s capable of a miracle. I felt it was going to be extremely risky for Usyk and that’s what happened.
“Usyk is kissed by the gods, he is the luckiest boxer who ever existed in the sport, but this luck is not just given for nothing; it’s given for hard work, for diligent work and for how big his heart is and how much he leaves in his training camp. Usyk did not look fresh. You can get colds, you can get injuries, you can be mentally and physically tired and your weight can go up. But he was at the highest weight I have ever seen him. He’s not taking advantage of his footwork in the ring, he’s more concentrated on a harder punch when. his feet are loaded in the ground.
“If i was there to advise him, his next performance would be his family. His family matters, maybe his businesses, that’s what he has to take care of now. He has to stop now. It’s better to leave one hour before than two minutes after. Unfortunately this is the truth, not just in boxing, but every single thing.
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“You cant earn all the money in the world, you cant beat all the fighters in the world. He needs to take this decision and its a difficult decision for a man like Usyk, being at the top and being unbeaten. From the bottom of the heart, I wish he would retire in his prime and be remembered as one of the greatest fighters of all time.”