Boxing

Oleksandr Usyk Reveals Number Of Fights Left Before Retirement

Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk got honest about his plans to retire, which are coming up fast.
Grant Young|
Oleksandr Usyk during a press conference at the Guildhall, London on October 23, 2024.
Oleksandr Usyk during a press conference at the Guildhall, London on October 23, 2024. | IMAGO / PA Images

Oleksandr Usyk has cemented himself as one of the greatest fighters to ever step into a boxing ring. This was the case even before his two fights against Tyson Fury in 2024 but was made extremely clear after he emerged victorious against Fury in both bouts.

After his first victory against Fury on May 18, Usyk became the third male boxer in history to become a two-weight undisputed champion in the "four-belt era" and the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 2000.

He's also the only cruiserweight and heavyweight in boxing history to hold world titles of all four major sanctioning bodies in the four-belt era. How's that for a resumé?

With all of these accolades under his belt, Usyk has nothing left to prove in his incredible boxing career. And it now appears that his retirement is imminent.

In a February 12 article from Sky Sports, Usyk is quoted saying, "I will fight who will win, Joseph Parker, Daniel Dubois, no problem." Parker and Dubois are facing each other on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a bout that will put Dubois' IBF world heavyweight title on the line.

But that's not all Usyk said. He also added, "I think two years, one and a half [left in boxing]. I feel great myself. I feel I have two fights to prepare [for], not more. Just two."

While it shouldn't come as a surprise that Usyk is thinking about retirement (given that he's now 38 years old), the champion is still at the top of his weight class and surely would still have more to offer the sport if he so desires.

But it sounds like he will have had enough after these final two bouts.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.