Oleksandr Usyk became a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion in July after he knocked out Daniel Dubois in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, London
Boxing legend Lennox Lewis has advised two-time undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk to “retire on top.”
The Ukrainian boxing star made history in July when he knocked out Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium, London, in front of a crowd of 90,000. Despite revealing plans for two more fights before retirement, the 38-year-old has been enjoying family time and recovering from minor injuries sustained during his bout with ‘Triple D.’
After his victory over Dubois, Usyk was ordered to defend his WBO belt against Joseph Parker or risk being stripped of the title. However, citing a back injury, Usyk and his team requested an extension.
This request was met with scepticism when a video surfaced of the Ukrainian dancing at a concert. Following an investigation, Usyk’s team were granted a 90-day extension, reports All Out Fighting. As Usyk prepares for another fight, Lewis has shared his thoughts on whether the Ukrainian should consider retiring.
Lewis – widely considered among the finest heavyweight boxers in history – famously retired on his own terms following his knockout victory over Vitali Klitschko in 2003. Pondering whether Usyk should hang up his gloves, Lewis told Sky Sports: “When a guy retires, it’s really down to him.
“He’s got to feel that push that he wants to retire, but he can teach a lot of young boxers a lot of different things: dedication, hard work, sacrifice, because he’s been through that. So I would say to him to retire at your own time, but retire on top. Like I did.”
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Usyk – a former undisputed champion at cruiserweight – would have posed a serious challenge during Lewis’ legendary era too, according to the British legend. “I think he would have fared really good because he’s doing something Evander Holyfield did [move up from cruiser successfully]. In this era he’s beaten all the big guys and all the guys that were in front of him. So he’s done a great job,” he said.
The 60-year-old boxing legend added: “It’s definitely the hardest thing to do because you basically want to be the best in boxing and take all the belts for yourself and be the number one guy. There’s always other boxers out there that don’t want you to achieve that. They’re standing by, they want to be beat you, they want to be the first boxer to beat you. That’s why you’ve got to make sure that you retire on top.”
When is the next boxing event?
Cristobal Lorente and Nathaniel Collins are gearing up for a face-off in Glasgow on Saturday, October 4. The bout is expected to kick off around 4pm UK time (11am ET / 8am PT / 10am CT).
In the main event, Collins will be the first to step into the ring at approximately 10pm UK time (5pm ET / 2pm PT / 4pm CT), with Lorente following shortly after.
Please note that all fight timings are subject to change and depend on the duration of the undercard. All the action will be broadcast live on DAZN.
This popular streaming platform can be accessed as an additional subscription on televisions, or streamed live via the official website or downloadable app. A DAZN subscription costs £119.99 annually or £14.99 per month, or you can opt for a flexible commitment at £24.99, which can be cancelled at any time.
