Boxing commentators have been debating why Oleksandr Usyk came to the decision to vacate all his belts. The overall consensus is that Usyk has grown tired of having to tow the line with the sanctioning bodies, and fight mandatory challengers within specific time limits.
The argument is that he wants the freedom to fight whom and when he wishes. The boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has made his own contribution to this discussion, saying that Oleksandr Usyk wants one last mega payday, perhaps a fight against former WBC Champion Deontay Wilder. Hearn says that Usyk always wanted Wilder on his resume. In this regard, it seems bizarre that Usyk would think that a fight against Wilder now will earn him the big bucks, considering that Wilder is arguably past his peak and as such not able to command the attention of the watching public as in his heyday.
Usyk, though, is a shrewd businessman. If he wasn’t, he would not have been able to engineer it so that he could become Unified, and at one time, Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World with less fights at Heavyweight than some other fighters. If Usyk chooses Wilder for his last fight, it may be the best chance the 39-year-old Ukrainian has to defeat the 40-year-old Bronze Bomber.
From a financial point of view, it may also be an attractive option for Usyk, provided that this fight takes place in the United States, either at Madison Square Garden in New York City or in Las Vegas. If this were the case, this fascinating match-up could become a pay-per-view event with the right marketing.
All of this is, of course, speculation, as you never really know what goes through the mind of Oleksandr Usyk. Eddie Hearn even called him “a strange one” in what was intended as advice to Anthony Joshua not to become too friendly with the Ukrainian, ahead of their first heavyweight world title clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England on 25 September 2021.
Usyk may surprise us all and announce he is going to retire without fighting again. If he wants to establish his legacy as one of the world’s all-time great heavyweight boxers, it would surely be better for Usyk to end his professional heavyweight career with a victory as World Champion, rather than with a win as an ordinary fighter. Oleksandr Usyk is anything but ordinary! It would therefore be a shame if he were to bow out of the sport of boxing other than as World Champion.
However, Usyk has a habit of doing the unexpected. Nobody would have predicted that he would have been able to make a successful transition from Cruiserweight to Heavyweight. But he did.
Oleksandr Usyk has succeeded in doing things that, to some, might appear strange. He is a strange guy. He is able to beat much larger heavyweights by adopting unorthodox training drills. For instance, he juggles, and he uses this exercise to sharpen his reflexes. It is Oleksandr Usyk’s strange behavior that makes him a great fighter. We should celebrate this!
Romer Cherubim
Freelance journalist
UK
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