Oleksandr Usyk is close to calling an end to his storied career.
The unified heavyweight champion revealed to Sky Sports on Wednesday that he has just two fights left in boxing before he retires.
“I think two years, one and a half [left in boxing],” Usyk said. “I feel great myself. I feel I have two fights to prepare [for], not more. Just two.”
Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs), Uncrowned’s No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, said he envisages his 25th and final professional outing to take place in the summer of 2026, at the earliest.
Usyk, 38, formerly held the undisputed cruiserweight title in 2018, which he claimed with a dominant unanimous decision win over Murat Gassiev. The Ukrainian then moved up to heavyweight and defeated Anthony Joshua twice to become the unified champion.
He won the undisputed heavyweight title this past May, edging Tyson Fury via split decision in their Fight of the Year contender in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — a win he then replicated seven months later at the same venue. But when Fury and Usyk met for the second time, only three belts were on the line as Usyk had vacated his IBF championship so he could rematch Fury instead of honoring a mandatory obligation.
Daniel Dubois was ultimately upgraded to IBF heavyweight champion and successfully defended his belt when he shocked the boxing world by knocking out Joshua at Wembley Stadium in September 2024. Dubois now defends his crown against New Zealand’s former world champion Joseph Parker on Feb. 22 in Riyadh.
One man who will be watching Dubois vs. Parker closely is Usyk, who said he’d like to face the winner in his penultimate fight.
“I will fight who will win, Joseph Parker, Daniel Dubois, no problem,” Usyk told Sky Sports.
Usyk and Dubois have shared the ring before on a night that was mired in controversy. In August 2023, Usyk knocked the Brit out in the ninth round to retain his unified titles in Poland, but the drama began long before Dubois sat out the count after taking a knee from a stiff Usyk jab.
In the fifth round, Dubois floored Usyk with a right hand that was controversially ruled as a low blow. Usyk was given several minutes to recover, much to the disappointment of Dubois and his promoter Frank Warren, who filed an official appeal with the WBA contesting the referee’s decision.
To this day, a significant portion of boxing fans insist that Dubois should’ve been a rightful winner over Usyk. Usyk will have a chance to put the saga behind him should Dubois beat Parker, opening the door for Usyk to rematch Dubois later this year and potentially become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion.
Usyk didn’t give any hints as to who his final fight could be against. The leading contender may be the winner of a potential Jai Opetaia vs. Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez three-belt unification clash at cruiserweight, should that much-discussed bout come to fruition. Australia’s Opetaia is an extremely talented boxer and is considered by some as the toughest available test for Usyk.
Another contender would be the 20-year-old heavyweight sensation Moses Itauma. Itauma, Uncrowned’s 2024 Prospect of the Year, is just 11 fights into his journey in the paid ranks but is already being touted as the future of the weight class due to his tremendous performances inside the ring, particularly his latest opening-round finish of Demsey McKean.
