Will Time Take Its Toll On Oleksandr Usyk?

By: Sean Crose

First, he was the undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world. Then he moved up in weight to take on none other than Anthony Joshua. He won that fight which may well have come as a surprise to some, then went on to win the rematch the following year. Then he fought Daniel Dubois who he ended up stopping before the final bell. Afterward, he took on Tyson Fury, and beat the towering Englishman, winning the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world in the process. Lastly, he returned to best Fury again that same year.

And as things stand, Alexander Usyk is set to fight Dubois again on the 19th. Although Dubois did give Usyk a scare in their first bout thanks to a low blow or solid body punch depending on how you look at it, Usyk was still able to defeat the man. He’s also expected to win again later on this month. The plan after that? To fight Fury, yes Fury, a third time. Not every fan will be crazy about this happening. Usyk dominated Fury or at the very least seemed to clearly get the better of the man two times already. Boxing however, is a strange sport. It’s also a sport that isn’t known to give its participants a great deal of longevity.

Although he’s been wisely called the king of the heavyweight division for a while now, it’s hard to overlook the fact that Usyk is now 38 years old. That’s a lot closer to 40 than it is to 30. And, at some point age will take its toll on the Ukrainian warrior. It might not come against Dubois this summer, nor may it come against Fury, but sooner or later, whether he’s retired or still active, age will begin to show on Usyk. An interesting question is when will the man start missing a beat? If it happens against Dubois or Fury, Usyk will still be considered an all-time great and rightfully so. Yet it may put an end to the aura of perfection that has surrounded the man for some time now.

One thing about Usyk is he’s an extremely skilled, confident and mature fighter. One would think out of all boxers he would be the one to realize when it’s time to pack it in. Glory is a strange thing though, and it can be quite addictive. How many heavyweight champions before Usyk tried to come back when they were well past their primes? The truth is quite a few, and only George Foreman proved that it was worth his while. Usyk may be the best in the business right now, but he won’t be that way forever. Sooner or later the Glory Days will come to an end.