Usyk’s Promoter Predicts Three More Peak Years
Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter, Alexander Krassyuk, has indicated that the fighter has three years left at the top of the heavyweight division.
The current unified heavyweight champion is preparing to face Tyson Fury on February 17th, 2024, for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. Usyk arrives into the fight with a hard-fought win over Daniel Dubois. The latter dropped Usyk with a body shot in round five. However, it was then deemed a low blow, as the Ukrainian was given over three rounds to get up.
Thereafter, Usyk stopped the Brit in round nine to retain his titles. In the aftermath, there were question marks over whether or not Usyk was slowing down. As such, there were suggestions that he was weak to the body. However, Krassyuk does not see his fighter walking away anytime soon.
Usyk’s Future
“He’s 36 now and still has three years to go at his best. The only issue or concern we have is the health issue so that could be a problem. If his body is still ready to fight, then I don’t think he’s going to quit. Let me tell you, I have been dealing with Oleksandr Usyk since his first professional fight in 2013 and we have been very close with each other over the last 10 years, but he is a young kid in his soul and has never experienced retirement or really imagine how hard it is for a fighter to retire from boxing,” Krassyuk said
Despite this being the case, that may depend on the outcome of the Fury fight. The pair do have a two-way rematch clause, which suggests that fans could see two fights. In addition, if Usyk were to win, the boxer would have accomplished a lot of major feats.
A win makes the Ukrainian a two-weight world champion and a two-time undisputed champion following his feats at cruiserweight. Therefore, outside of Fury, the only other big fight in the division appears to be Deontay Wilder. But with the American having no belts to his name, the fight may not make sense. However, Usyk’s dedication to the sport may make it harder for the boxer to walk away.
Past Ukrainians
“I just reminded Vitali Klitschko that he retired from boxing for four years and then came back and won the WBC belt. The reason was not for the money but because he was missing the sport. He was a politician already and a businessman, but he missed it so much and despite being over 50, he is still in training. The Mayor of Kyiv still misses it and when we speak about boxing, I still see the inspiration coming from Vitali,” Krassyuk stated
As of now, the main focus is Fury. By the time the Ukrainian faces Fury, he will be 37 years old. And since Usyk has fought at every level, from the amateurs, Olympics and the pro ranks, can the boxer continue to fight at a time when father time will naturally be creeping up? Time will tell.
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