Former promoter Alex Krassyuk believes heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk should retire following his difficult stoppage victory over Rico Verhoeven, saying the Ukrainian “did not look fresh” and admitting he had Usyk trailing on the scorecards before the finish.

Krassyuk, who previously worked closely with Usyk, described the Verhoeven bout as the toughest fight of the champion’s career and said he was concerned about the matchup because of Verhoeven’s size, durability and mentality entering the contest.

“I had only three rounds by Usyk. Yes,” said Krassyuk, according to BoxingNews24, when asked if he had Usyk down 7-3 before the stoppage. “This was the toughest fight of his career. Rico had his own advantages, which was the effective weight. Rico has a hell of a heart, is the real lion. He was in every possible war in his career.”

Krassyuk also pointed to the psychological pressure surrounding the fight and suggested Usyk’s age and increased weight may now be affecting his movement in the ring. “The biggest one was the psychological or mental pressure. Rico had zero because if he loses, he loses to the best man on the planet. If Usyk loses, he loses every single thing, his fame, his legacy, his glory, because people will remember him for his last fight,” said Krassyuk. “We are not getting younger with time. Usyk did not look fresh. He was in the highest weight I’ve ever seen him. The amount of steps he made in the ring significantly declined. So, he’s not taking his best advantage of footwork in the ring.”

While Krassyuk stopped short of criticising the referee for halting the contest against Verhoeven, he acknowledged the stoppage could have been handled differently. “The referee could let Rico go to his corner and take his minute of the rest and then take the decision whether he is capable or not of continuing the fight,” said Krassyuk. “But the referee is the only man in charge. Maybe the referee served a very good service for Rico, keeping his health in order.”

Krassyuk said he would advise Usyk to retire rather than continue toward potential future bouts against contenders such as Agit Kabayel or a rematch with Verhoeven. “He has to stop. It’s better to leave one hour before than two minutes after. You can’t beat all fighters of the world,” said Krassyuk. “I wish him to retire at his prime and being remembered in ages as one of the most prominent and greatest fighters of all times.”

Usyk remains one of the leading figures in the heavyweight division after an unbeaten run that has included world titles at cruiserweight and heavyweight, but Krassyuk’s comments add to growing discussion over the champion’s future following the physically demanding win over Verhoeven.