The Ukrainian has recently revealed he intends to retire at the age of 41, and post-fighting, he has immediately ruled out one big career change
Oleksandr Usyk has vowed to move into coaching after revealing he does not see himself entering the world of politics.
A career move into politics would not be unusual in Ukrainian. Vitali Klitschko was a legendary heavyweight boxer before becoming the mayor Kyiv after hanging up his gloves. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian three years ago, Usyk has been an active fundraiser for the national military and humanitarian causes.
The 38-year-old is not afraid to speak his mind when it comes to political talks. Back in May, the two-time undisputed heavyweight king urged U.S. President Donald Trump to “open his eyes” regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Whilst the Ukrainian boxer is seen as a national treasure, the man himself has ruled out entering politics after his boxing career.
Usyk told journalists via UNN that it will not bring any benefit if he starts ‘engaging in politics.’ He said: “How will my influence help if I become a politician or a mayor, how will it help me? If some old man meets me, he will say: “Son, I rooted for you, and now here you go” – and he will punch me in the face.”
The two-division undisputed champion added that only those who want to “steal” venture into politics and insists he is happy with everything he currently has. “Why should I go there? I have a career, after all,” he continued. “Those who want to “steal” should go there. I don’t want to “steal”. I have, thank God, I have earned, I want to save mine and multiply it for someone else.”
At 38, Usyk made a stunning revelation that he intends to retire at the age of 41. Previously, the boxing superstar admitted that 2026 was going to be his last year in the ring. Now, though, he seemingly wants to fight for two more years. “I train every day. Yesterday morning I arrived and immediately went to the training hall. I train with the goal of entering the ring next year and, with God’s help, winning,” he said.
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He added: “I will box until I am 41. And then I will build a Sports Academy and train there, and I will train there.” Usyk – who turns 39 in January – has not fought since his knockout victory over Daniel Dubois back in July in front of over 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, London.
Regarding his next foe, the Ukrainian has many potential options, including Joseph Parker and Tyson Fury. As Usyk prepares for a return to the ring next year, he has immediately ruled out Moses Itauma – which serves as a real boost to Fury’s chances of a third fight with the boxing legend. “With Itauma? I won’t fight him,” he said. “He’s young. He’s still pushing me. And he said he doesn’t hit old men. I can’t say who I’ll be in the ring with because negotiations are underway. I’d be fooling you if I gave you a name.”
When is the next boxing fight?
Kieron Conway will take on George Liddard tonight at York Hall, Bethnal Green. The main undercard is set to get underway at around 7pm UK time (11am ET / 8am PT / 10am CT). In the main event, Liddard will make the walk to the ring first at around 10pm UK time (5pm ET / 2pm PT / 4pm CT) with Conway set to follow immediately after.
The timings of all fights are subject to change and will depend on how long the undercard takes to complete. All of the action is set to be shown live on DAZN. The popular streaming platform can be found as an additional subscription on TVs. It can also be streamed live on the official website or the downloadable app. A DAZN subscription is £119.99 or £14.99 per month, or £24.99 on a flexible commitment that can be cancelled at any point.
