Former super middleweight champion Carl Froch says the performance raised serious concerns about whether Usyk can still handle the top heavyweights in the division, including WBC interim champion Agit Kabayel.

“Has Usyk got old overnight? Is he looking a bit slow?” said Froch on his YouTube channel. “Is his body looking a bit. I don’t know. He looks a bit spread around the middle. Usyk’s past his best. I’d hate to see Usyk lose and get beat because of age. He’s had such a fantastic career. He’s so good. One of the best to ever do it.”

“It was touch-and-go in there against Verhoeven, and I was thinking, ‘Professional boxing’s on the line. Not just Usyk’s career.’”

Froch believes the warning signs are there after Usyk looked far less dominant than expected against an opponent many fans believed he would stop within a few rounds.

“For him to lose because he shouldn’t be fighting anymore, it would be a tragedy,” said Froch. “That’s the danger now. Once fighters stay around too long, the younger heavyweights are coming.”

Usyk is expected to be ordered into a mandatory defense against Kabayel next. Kabayel has emerged as one of the division’s most dangerous pressure fighters after recent knockout wins over Zhilei Zhang, Frank Sanchez, and Filip Hrgovic.