Oleksandr Usyk, at 38, is no longer the spring chicken he once was. But thanks to his remarkable skills, he is still ruling the heavyweight division with iron fists. He had plans to retire, but then he quickly turned his decision around to claim that 2026 will not be the end of his run. “I’ll fight until I’m 41,” the Ukrainian star said not too long ago. But that decision has not boded well with his former promoter and friend, Alex Krassyuk.

The undisputed heavyweight champion, during an interview with Ready to Fight, revealed that his career will go on for a few more years. Oleksandr Usyk plans to finish his career and then build fighters by taking them under his wing. “[After retirement] I’ll build a sports academy. I’ll train there and train others,” the undisputed heavyweight champion stated. However, his former promoter and business partner suggests that he should leave the sport of boxing now, since he’s at the top of his game, before the sport leaves him.

Asking Usyk to consider not waiting to retire until the wheels fall off, Alex Krassyuk said, “I’m confident he needs to retire now. There’s a saying, ‘It’s better to leave an hour early than two minutes late,'” during an interview with Eva Korshik. “Imagine he retires now—undefeated forever, never knocked down, unified in two weight classes.”

It’s hard to argue with what Oleksandr Usyk’s former promoter has suggested. The heavyweight star is just a couple of years away from his 40s and has already made an indelible mark on boxing. So, walking away now will help ‘The Cat’ avoid an unceremonious end to his boxing career. Iconic names like Muhammad Ali and even Mike Tyson ended their careers after racking up a losing streak, so this could stand as a chance for Usyk to prevent that from happening to himself.

But while Oleksandr Usyk’s former partner is calling for him to retire, reports have come out claiming that the Ukrainian is already in talks to face his next opponent. That opponent may be none other than another undefeated fighter and the WBA and WBO interim heavyweight champion, Fabio Wardley.

Oleksandr Usyk to fight Fabio Wardley next?

Fabio Wardley recently announced himself as a top boxer after handing Joseph Parker an upset loss in England. He’s in luck now because he’s reportedly in contact with Oleksandr Usyk’s team to finalize the terms for a potential fight between the two heavyweights.

“At the moment, the deal is Usyk has to defend his WBO title against Fabio,” veteran promoter Frank Warren told talkSport. “We’re in negotiations… If we can’t agree terms, it’ll go to purse bids….whoever wins the purse bids will determine where that fight takes place, and the date and contracts will have to be signed. And then, Mr Usyk will either sign it or he won’t.”

Well, Frank Warren may not need to worry about Oleksandr Usyk accepting this fight because he intends to keep going for three more years. However, do you think it would be wise for him to simply step out of the ring and retire as the undisputed heavyweight champion? Let us know in the comments section below.