Usyk's Former Promoter Krassyuk Says He Should Retire

Oleksandr Usyk's former promoter thinks the unified heavyweight champion should walk away from boxing after his near-upset against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on Saturday night in Egypt.

Alexander Krassyuk, who guided Usyk through most of his pro career before stepping away last summer, told Boxing King Media that declining footwork and ring movement signal it is time for the Ukrainian to stop. "If I were there to advise him, his next opponent would be his family matters, maybe his business issues," Krassyuk said, per The Ring.

Krassyuk Warns of Negative Trends After Verhoeven Fight

Usyk, 25-0 with 16 knockouts and holder of The Ring, IBF, WBA and WBC titles, entered the Verhoeven bout as a 25-1 favourite but struggled for ten rounds before dropping the kickboxing legend and stopping him with one second left in the 11th. Two judges had the fight even at 95-95, and one scored it 96-94 for Verhoeven when the late knockout came.

Krassyuk said Usyk made fewer steps in the ring than in previous outings and relied more on planted punches than lateral movement. The promoter noted Usyk weighed 233 pounds, the heaviest he has ever seen him, and warned the trend line from the Daniel Dubois fight through Verhoeven is worrying. "The signal has to be detected, and once the signal is detected, the conclusions have to be made," he added.

Usyk turns 40 in January and said before the Verhoeven exhibition that he had two more ring walks left. Krassyuk urged him to retire now while still on top rather than risk a career-ending loss.

Source: ringmagazine.com