Oleksandr Usyk has changed his mind on when he will call time on his career.
The undisputed heavyweight champion had initially declared he would retire after his next fight.
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Usyk was last in action in July when he dispatched DuboisCredit: AFP
However, he has now told Ukrainian publication UNN that he will continue competing until he is 41 years old.
“I will box until I am 41,” he said. “And then I will build a Sports Academy, and I will train there.”
Usyk also revealed that ‘negotiations are underway’ for his next fight and that he will return to the ring in the new year.
“I can’t say who I’ll be in the ring with because negotiations are underway,” he added.
“I’d be fooling you if I gave you a name…
“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.”
Usyk celebrates his 39th birthday in January, meaning boxing fans will likely be treated to his brilliance for three more years.
The future Hall of Famer proved he still has plenty left in the tank in July when he blasted away 27-year-old Daniel Dubois inside five rounds at Wembley Stadium.
Several preeminent boxing voices believe Usyk is getting better with age.
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The undisputed heavyweight champion intends to box again in 2026Credit: GETTY
However, fellow heavyweight great Lennox Lewis has urged ‘The Cat’ to take a leaf out of his book and bow out while he is still on top.
Lennox Lewis wants to see Oleksandr Usyk retire before boxing retires him
“When a guy retires, it’s really down to him,” Lewis told Sky Sports.
“He’s got to feel that push that he wants to retire.
“But he can teach a lot of young boxers a lot of different things: dedication, hard work, sacrifice, because he’s been through that.
“So I would say to him to retire at your own time, but retire on top. Like I did.
“It’s definitely the hardest thing to do because you basically want to be the best in boxing and take all the belts for yourself and be the number one guy.
The Rock recalls Oleksandr Usyk sparring session and names one thing that stunned him about the heavyweight
“There’s always other boxers out there that don’t want you to achieve that.
“They’re standing by, they want to beat you, they want to be the first boxer to beat you.
“That’s why you’ve got to make sure that you retire on top.”