Oleksandr Usyk escaped with a late stoppage victory over Rico Verhoeven, but not everyone walked away convinced the heavyweight champion still looks unbeatable.
Former Usyk promoter Alex Krassyuk believes the fight revealed signs of decline from the undefeated Ukrainian star. After watching Usyk struggle through long stretches before securing the finish in round 11, Krassyuk openly questioned how much longer the champion should continue fighting.
Krassyuk Says Usyk Showed Signs Of Slowing Down
Krassyuk praised Usyk’s technical advantages heading into the bout while also acknowledging the physical challenges Verhoeven presented.
“We are not getting younger – this is natural and you can do nothing about it,”
He pointed to Usyk’s boxing IQ, movement, and experience as major differences between the fighters, but also noted Verhoeven’s size and durability created real problems.
“But Rico has his own advantages. He weighs more than Usyk – 15 kilos more and it’s not fat, it’s effective muscle, weight.”
Krassyuk also credited Verhoeven’s toughness and composure entering the fight.
“Rico has a h*ll of a heart, a real lion.”
“He was in every possible war in his career.”
Former Promoter Concerned By Fight Performance
Despite predicting Usyk would win comfortably before the matchup, Krassyuk admitted the fight changed his perspective once he saw how the action unfolded.
“Before this fight people asked me for the prediction, I told them 100 fights of 100, Usyk wins,”
“But there is also a place for a miracle, the lord’s will.”
“Thank God this time the miracle did not take place, but the signal has to be detected.”
Krassyuk revealed he had Verhoeven leading on the scorecards entering the championship rounds.
“I only had three rounds by Usyk,”
He also believes Usyk’s movement has noticeably declined compared to earlier fights in his career.
“Usyk did not look fresh. The amount of steps he made in the ring significantly declined.”
Krassyuk explained that Usyk appeared more focused on sitting down on punches rather than using constant movement and footwork that previously separated him from other heavyweights.
Krassyuk Urges Usyk To Retire
After the performance, Krassyuk said he would advise Usyk to step away from boxing while still on top.
“If I was there to advise him, his next opponent would be his wife, Katarina, his daughter Maria, his daughter Lisa, and his sons.”
“That’s what he has to take care of now. He has to stop.”
Krassyuk believes retirement now would preserve Usyk’s legacy as one of the greatest fighters of his generation.
“It’s better to leave one hour before than two minutes after.”
“So from the bottom of my heart I wish him to retire at his prime and being remembered in ages as one of the most prominent and greatest fighters of all time.”