Teddy Atlas Wants Usyk to Retire on Top — Unlike Ali and Louis

Teddy Atlas has a simple ask for Oleksandr Usyk: get out clean. The Hall of Fame trainer, speaking with CanadaCasino, said the thing he wants most is for the 25-0 Ukrainian to walk away at his peak — healthy, intact, and remembered exactly the way he should be. Usyk has already confirmed he's got just one fight left after stopping Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round back in May, then vacating his heavyweight belts.

Atlas framed it against two of the biggest names the sport has ever produced. Muhammad Ali fought at world level for roughly 15 years and beat George Foreman and Joe Frazier along the way. Joe Louis reigned nearly 12 years and set the heavyweight record with 25 title defenses. Both are untouchable legends. Both also stayed a few years too long — and paid for it.

That's the whole point of Atlas's pitch. He said it isn't his call when Usyk should hang them up, but he believes the fighter is already leaning toward the exit. And leaving voluntarily, at the top, is something even Ali and Louis couldn't pull off.

Why Usyk Sits Apart

The case for Usyk as an all-timer is already strong. He's a two-division undisputed champion who beat Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua — the kind of signature wins that define a legacy. His 25-0 mark carries 16 knockouts, and while he's not the biggest puncher in the division, the Verhoeven stoppage shows he can still close a show late. Joshua, for what it's worth, is now 29-4 (26 KO) and coming off a sixth-round knockout of Jake Paul.

The reason Usyk sometimes gets left off the very top shelf is longevity — he simply hasn't been world-class for as long as Ali or Louis. But that's also the flip side of Atlas's argument. A shorter, cleaner run that ends on his terms might age far better than a long one that limps to the finish.

The Last Dance

So who gets the farewell fight? The heavy favorite in the speculation is Deontay Wilder, the former WBC champion who just edged Derek Chisora by split decision. Wilder's 45-4-1 record and 43 knockouts still make him the most dangerous single-punch threat Usyk could face on the way out. Chisora, now 36-14 (23 KO), came up short in that one. If Wilder is the man, Usyk's last act would pit boxing's cleanest technician against its most explosive finisher — a fitting way to test whether he really can walk off whole.