Former promoter Alex Krassyuk has urged Oleksandr Usyk to retire from competition, saying the unbeaten Ukrainian heavyweight should now focus on “family matters” and “business issues.”
Krassyuk, who parted ways with Usyk a month before the Ukrainian knocked out Daniel Dubois last July, made the comments after watching the 37-year-old struggle against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in an exhibition bout Saturday night at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
“If I were there to advise him, his next opponent would be his family matters, maybe his business issues,” Krassyuk told Boxing King Media. “That’s what he has to take care of now. He has to stop. It’s better to leave one hour before than two minutes after. Unfortunately, this is the truth. It concerns not just boxing; it concerns every single thing in life.”
Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight and unified heavyweight champion, remains unbeaten in professional boxing. But Krassyuk, the head of K2 Promotions, warned that stepping away at the right time is critical for the fighter’s legacy.
“This is a very difficult decision for a man like Usyk, being at the top and being unbeaten,” Krassyuk said. “But think of the future. So, from the bottom of my heart, I wish him to retire at his prime and be remembered in ages as one of the most prominent and greatest fighters of all time.”
