Smokin’ Joe, the former world heavyweight champion, had decided to return after more than five years out of the ring and, unsurprisingly, was nowhere near his best over the course of 10 slow-paced but occasionally painful rounds. In the end, he was lucky to escape with a draw.

Futch, who had first connected with Frazier two decades earlier, knew that this 37-year-old version of his mentee had no real business in a ring anymore. “They see these young fighters, their deficiencies and they think they can whip them,” Futch said.

“But what they don’t see is that their own reflexes ain’t what they used to be. It’s like a pair of socks, when the elastic goes, it’s gone.”

It was hard not to think of these words this week when the great Oleksandr Usyk revealed his grand plan for the final act of his career. The two-time undisputed world heavyweight champion has decided to return to cruiserweight in order to face the undefeated, dangerous David Benavidez for the world title at 200 pounds.

Usyk (25-0, 16 KOs) is a first-ballot Hall of Famer having already won undisputed titles at cruiserweight and heavyweight and, now 39, is two years older than Frazier was when he was compared to a pair of old gym socks.

For a moment it looked like his memorable career was about to finish with a whimper, away from all the sanctioning title belts he vacated this year.

There was talk of a clash with a faded Deontay Wilder, now 41, while a rematch with Rico Verhoeven, who pushed him hard in Egypt before a controversial 11th-round stoppage, was a possibility. Should Tyson Fury beat Anthony Joshua in December, a third fight with “Greedy Belly” has also been mooted.

But what this plan to fight Benavidez tells us above all is that Usyk is a man who cares about his legacy. He could have picked the most lucrative option, he could have outboxed a shopworn Wilder or claimed another decision against a man in Fury he has already beaten twice. Instead, he could register another legitimately historic victory.

He is already the first man to unify all four cruiserweight titles and indeed the first to do the same at heavyweight. With Evander Holyfield, David Haye and Murat Gassiev he is one of only four men to have won world titles at cruiserweight and then heavyweight anyway.

Nobody in history has ever gone up to heavyweight, won a world title and then come back down to cruiserweight to do the same again. This would not be against any old 200-pounder either but The Ring’s No. 1-rated contender Benavidez, who holds two world titles and is about to fight for a third.

The closest comparison is Roy Jones Jr, who jumped up from light heavyweight to heavyweight to face John Ruiz for the WBA title in the 2003 Ring Event of the Year. He weighed in at 193 pounds that night and won on points before dropping back down to 175 pounds to beat Antonio Tarver in their first fight eight months later.

Not only has Usyk campaigned as a heavyweight for the last eight years, but also beaten an undefeated world heavyweight champion in Fury while twice soundly defeating Joshua and Daniel Dubois.

This was no short-term, 18-pound sojourn like Jones Jr, this was an all-time-great run in the blue ribbon division. And let’s not forget, he was just over 233 pounds against Verhoeven.

It looked like Usyk, The Ring heavyweight champion, might have been done with making history and that he would cash one last cheque before putting his feet up and enjoying the rest of his life. Instead, he is back on the chicken and rice and straight back into the fire.

The only question mark remains over the state of his socks.

Should Usyk complete his move to cruiserweight, there will be a break in the lineage up at heavyweight.

The Ukrainian became lineal heavyweight champion when beating Fury in May 2024. That night, he became the man who beat the man who beat the man.

Fury had beaten Wladimir Klitschko for the position in November 2015 and, despite taking nearly three years off, remained lineal champion when he came back in June 2018.

Since John L Sullivan became the first lineal champion in 1885, there is precedent for champions retiring or vacating their position, rather than being beaten for it. The great Rocky Marciano, of course, never lost his belt with Floyd Patterson taking over the lineage on his retirement in 1956.

More recently, Lennox Lewis retired as lineal champion with his final fight ending in a sixth-round stoppage victory over Vitali Klitschko in June 2003. It was not until 2009 that Wladimir Klitschko became the next widely considered lineal champion after beating another top-ranked contender Ruslan Chagaev in Germany.

We look set for a similar situation once Usyk either officially vacates his position by moving down to cruiserweight or by retiring from the sport altogether. What will follow is a fascinating scrap between the remaining elite heavyweights to decide who should become the next lineal champion.

Dubois is the No. 1 contender to Usyk’s Ring title while WBC champion Agit Kabayel sits second. Fury is third while IBF beltholder Filip Hrgovic is No. 4. Promoter Frank Warren, who has a stake in all four guys, has promised unifications in 2027 so we might just get a new lineal king too.