Tim Bradley Says Oleksandr Usyk Chases Payday Over Legacy

The Hall of Famer believes vacating three heavyweight titles signals Oleksandr Usyk’s final career phase after the Rico Verhoeven fight

Tim Bradley believes Oleksandr Usyk has closed the chapter on building his legacy after vacating three heavyweight world titles. The Hall of Famer argues the Ukrainian is now pursuing the biggest fights for business rather than championships following his demanding victory over Rico Verhoeven.

Bradley believes Usyk’s difficult night against Verhoeven played a major role in that decision.

“I think that the Rico Verhoeven fight was an eye-opener for him to be honest with you. He struggled with him, right, but then he was able to pull it off at the end,” said Bradley on the Inside Ring Show.

“Relinquishing the titles, for me, you see the white smoke. He is done. He has left the sport of boxing. He is going to fight [again], but he has left the sport of boxing. He is in the business of boxing now.”

Rather than suggesting Usyk is retiring immediately, Bradley’s point was that the 39-year-old has shifted his focus away from defending championships and toward maximizing the final stage of his career with the biggest available fights.

Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) vacated three of the four major heavyweight belts after stopping Verhoeven in the 11th round in Riyadh, leaving the heavyweight division to crown new champions and mandatory challengers. He retained only the WBO title.

Although Usyk has repeatedly stated he intends to have one more fight before retiring, Bradley believes the days of chasing undisputed status are over. Instead, he expects the Ukrainian’s remaining bout to be driven by business rather than legacy, with speculation continuing over a potential showdown against former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

Some fans will argue that Usyk has absolutely nothing left to prove after cleaning out both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. But for others, tossing away three world titles is a blatant sign that he wants no part of the division’s top contenders and is simply looking to cash out with one final massive payday before hanging up the gloves.

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