THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR
Why only two or three more fights? He chose those numbers not because he believes he has no more to give but because he wants to spend more time with those closest to him. Make no mistake: He feels strongly that he could fight on indefinitely. Indeed, he turned 39 on January 17 but doesn’t feel as if he has lost a step. He is known to be disciplined not only in the weeks leading to fights but year round, which preserves his body. Klimas said his client has to gain weight in his training camps, not lose weight. And while he had more than 300 fights in a stellar amateur career – including an Olympic gold medal in 2012 – he has had only 24 as a pro, a small number even by today’s standards. He’s about as fresh as anyone can be in his position. “If we’re talking about how I feel physically, my condition, my desires, I could have more [than two or three more fights],” he said. “But every fight means months of preparation, and I also want to spend time with my family, to see my children grow up. So that number is kind of a compromise between the professional and personal parts of my life. “I have only positive feelings about my age. I have become wiser and more experienced, but I haven’t lost my hunger for life or for boxing. I haven’t lost my shape either, because I work on it constantly. And my team works on it as well – our scientists, coaches, nutritionists, and doctors. In my life, everything is still ahead, with God’s help and blessing.” And, of course, there’s the obvious question: What motivates him after an already legendary run through the top of boxing’s most demanding division? He has no shortage of that fuel. Let’s start with the inevitable doubters he has encountered along the way. Those who have followed his career will remember that many believed a former 200-pounder couldn’t compete with modern behemoths like
Fury and Joshua, who were taller and outweighed him by significant margins. We know what happened there. And the doubters played a role. They always will.
his approach to the sport. “For a samurai, the most important thing is the path itself,” he said. “Boxing is like art: If you are a true artist, you create because you simply
cannot do otherwise. And if you devote yourself to your work properly, the Lord rewards you with achievements. “Christ told his disciples the Parable of the Talents. A master, before leaving on a journey, entrusted his property to three servants: To one he gave five talents (a “talent” referring to a large unit of money); to another, two; to the third, one – each according to his ability. The first two put the money to work and multiplied it, while the third buried his talent in the ground.
“If Fury beats Wardley, I can see Oleksandr fighting for the undisputed championship again.”
“Listen, at one point in time, people told me, ‘You’re weak. Don’t box,’” he said. “Then they said, ‘Don’t move up to heavyweight. You’re too small. You can’t overcome your physical limitations. You won’t beat all those big guys.’ Every time, I proved them wrong. “Now they say, ‘You’re too old for boxing. You won’t overcome your age. It’s biology.’ So now my challenge is to prove that age can be beaten too.” Then there’s the old proverb, “The journey is more important than the destination.” Usyk is honored by the accolades he has received, but, he said, he’s less motivated by the rewards – including money – than the process. In other words, he enjoys boxing. “I don’t consider myself an all-time great,” he said when told that he IS one. “I don’t think about myself in those terms at all. Pride is a path that leads to a fall. Love is my strongest motivator. Love for boxing, because I truly love this sport. Love for my country and the desire to continue representing it at the highest level of sport. Love for God and gratitude that he continues to give me the strength to do what I love. So that means I must keep going.” He then became more philosophical, combining Bushido (the Japanese samurai code) with religion to explain
When the master returned, he praised and rewarded those who had multiplied what was entrusted to them and condemned the lazy servant, taking the talent away from him. “God gives everyone a talent and expects you not to bury it in the ground. That is why I keep boxing for as long as I have the strength.” Or, as Klimas put it: “What is he going to do? He doesn’t want to sit on the couch and watch TV. He wants to be active.” Now we must wait to see what road he takes. A realistic three-fight scenario seems to be Wilder in the first half of the new year, an interim fight later (perhaps in the fall) and then the winner of a fight between Wardley and Fury sometime in 2027. If Usyk gets and wins those fights – and then walks away, as he said he would – he will have replicated Terence Crawford’s remarkable accomplishment of retiring as an undefeated, undisputed champion who, if the current order holds, is also No. 1 pound-for-pound. Again, Usyk isn’t motivated by such things. At the same time, the prospect of going out in that fashion isn’t lost on him. “I will go out at the top,” he said. “But not today.”
Usyk has reigned as undisputed champ three times in two divisions.
two-time world champ who has begun training for a comeback at 37. In fact, both men have expressed interest. If Wardley were to defeat Fury, Klimas said, he would be seen differently by Team Usyk. And, of course, a trilogy would make sense if the 6-foot-9 Fury were to win. The Usyk-Fury fights were competitive, particularly the first one, which Usyk won by split decision. “We’ll see what happens with Fury’s comeback,” Klimas said. “If Fury beats
Wardley, I can see Oleksandr fighting for the undisputed championship again. They had two fights and neither was a stoppage. Tyson believes he won the first fight, both fights. It would be a huge trilogy fight. That fight would make a lot of noise in the U.K. “Fury and Wardley for the WBO title makes sense,” Klimas went on. “They both fight under one roof, under one promoter (Frank Warren). The fight will be easy to make. If Fury wins that fight, he’s the champion again. All doors are
open. And, yes, if Wardley wins, that puts him on another level. That puts him on the map.” These are the uncertain waters Usyk is navigating as he begins to contemplate life after boxing. The only thing he knows with certainty is that he’s not quite finished.
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