Oleksandr Usyk

At 37 years old, Oleksandr Usyk has this physical status:

Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk (born 17 January 1987) is a Ukrainian professional boxer.

He reigned as the undisputed cruiserweight champion from July 2018 to March 2019, becoming the first cruiserweight to hold all four major world championships—the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and WBO titles.

Usyk also received gold medals at the 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics as an amateur, both in the heavyweight division.

He began training in 2013 and captured the undisputed cruiserweight championship in his 15th professional fight in 2018.

Three of his titles were won during the inaugural World Boxing Super Series, in which he captured the Muhammad Ali Trophy, as well as The Ring magazine and lineal cruiserweight titles.

Usyk was voted the 2018 Fighter of the Year by Sports Illustrated, ESPN, The Ring, and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He is the fifth boxer to do so after Crawford, Jermain Taylor, Bernard Hopkins, and Cecilia Brkhus.

He is Ukraine's first undisputed champion.

In 2019, Usyk vacated his cruiserweight titles in favor of a heavierweight challenge.

As of December 2019, Usyk is the world's fifth best active boxer, pound for pound, as well as the world's third best active heavyweight by BoxRec and tenth by ESPN.

Early life

Usyk was born in Simferopol, Crimean Oblast, Ukraine's Soviet Union, on January 17, 1987, to parents who immigrated from northern Ukraine. His mother was born in the Chernihiv region (in the village of Rybotyn, Korop Raion), while his father was a Sumyan. His mother worked in construction and then moved to Simferopol to study. His father, a military man who passed through Afghanistan, served as a security guard in Crimea, and the two met there. He is the firstborn of his family and he has two siblings. He played football and was educated at the SC Tavriya Simferopol elite sports academy of Olympic reserve from age 15 (club's football academy). Usyk began shipping in 2002. He is a graduate of Lviv State University of Physical Culture.

Personal life

Usyk is married and has three children. They live in Kyiv, Ukraine.

His wife has Russian citizenship, and the boxer uses Russian as his first language. Usyk said on April 28th, 2014, after the Russian Federation annexed Crimea, he would never exchange his Ukrainian citizenship for Russian citizenship. Responding to a question about whether he can still travel to Crimea in 2016, he said he often visits his families in the peninsula; that he does not like to talk politics because people are lazy; that in Russia he has many followers; and that we are Slavs. Usyk would often reply, "Crimea belongs to God," afterwards; however, Usyk said in September 2022 that Crimea has been, is, and will be" Ukrainian, which is taken violently from Ukraine.

Usyk is an Orthodox Christian. In an interview, Terry Hughes said, "The only thing I wanted to do with this war is to praise my Lord Jesus Christ and then claim that it all comes from him."

Usyk begged Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which had started on February 24th. Usyk, colleague boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko, and Bellator MMA Welterweight Champion Yaroslav Amosov all left Ukraine to serve in Ukraine's territorial defense forces a few days later, but Usyk, 31 years old, returned to Ukraine to train for his rematch with Anthony Joshua in late March.

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Amateur career

He won his first three matches at the 2006 European Championships but lost in the semi-finals to Matvey Korobov.

He rose to light-heavyweight later and then lifted the Strandja Cup in 2008.

He climbed to a different weight class in February 2008 and was sent to an Olympic qualifier in Roseto degli Abruzzi, replacing European Champion Denys Poyatsyka. Daniel Price and Azeri Elchin Alizade were among the world's best in class rivals.

Usyk defeated Yushan Nijiati by 23–4 points at the 2008 Olympic Games, but the quarter-finals were decided by 4–7.

At the 2008 European Championships, he was a light-heavyweight and gained gold, but he later returned to heavyweight. He defeated Artur Beterbiev and Teymur Mammadov to win the heavyweight title and qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics at the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships.

Usyk captured the gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, defeating Artur Beterbiev, Tervel Pulev, and Italy's Clement Russo defeated him by 6–3 in the final.

With a record of 33515, Usyk retired from amateur boxing.

Joe Joyce, a junior athlete in the 2012-13 World Series of Boxing (WSB), won all six of his fights, with two by stoppage (Junior Faby UD, Eric Brechlin by UD, Magomedrasul Majidov by UD, Matteo Modugno by UD) before turning pro (UD, Mihai Nistor by UD).

Professional career

Usyk turned pro in late 2013 at the age of 26 and signed a K2 Promotions contract, a division of the Klitschko brothers, fighting in the cruiserweight division.

Usyk made his professional debut on November 9, 2013 by defeating Mexican fighter Felipe Romero in the fifth round. In four rounds, he stopped 38-year-old Epifanio Mendoza in the following month. Usyk made his debut in Germany on the undercard of Klitschko-Leapai, defeating Ben Nsafoah by a third-round knockout in his third professional fight on April 26, 2014 in his third fight. Usyk's home and triumphed over Argentine Cesar David Crenz in the fourth round a month later.

After defeating South African boxer Daniel Bruwer via seventh-round technical knockout (TKO) for the interim WBO InterContinental cruiserweight title, Usyk won his first title on October 4, 2014 (TKO). Usyk defended the title two months later, defeating Danie Venter, a 35-year-old boy, in the ninth round of the ninth round. At the time of the stoppage, Usyk was ahead on all three judges' scorecards.

In Kyiv, Usyk continued his defense against former Russian cruiserweight champion Andrey Knyazev (211-1, 6 KOs). Referee Mickey Vann ended the game in round eight after finding that Knyazev had received too much punishment after seven one-sided rounds. Usyk stayed on track for a WBO title fight against then champion Marco Huck after winning.

Usyk defeated former South African light heavyweight champion Johnny Muller via third-round TKO at the Sport Palace in Kyiv, which saw Usyk dominate the contest with a jab in 29 August 2015. Usyk knocked Muller twice in round three, and although Muller protested, the referee waved the game off with just one second remaining in the round.

In a scheduled 12-round match at the Sport Palace on December 12, Usyk made his fourth and final defense against unidentified Cuban boxer Pedro Rodriguez. Usyk won the fight, his ninth straight knockout in as many fights, first knocking Rodriguez in round six with an uppercut before the fight was called off in round seven, despite being disqualified again. With a World championship fight in 2016, Usyk has climbed to the top of the WBO's rankings, with a World championship title clash likely for 2016.

Usyk will face undefeated Polish boxer Krzysztof Gowacki (26-0, 16 KOs) in his WBO cruiserweight title on September 17 in Gdansk, Poland, in June. According to reports, Usyk's manager, James Ali Bashir, wanted to recruit former world champion Antonio Tarver as a sparring partner. Tarver had not only requested too much money, but also wanted to be on the card as a co-featured main event, as it was described. At 198.3 pounds, Glowacki weighed 199.3 pounds, with Usyk coming in marginally less at 198.75 pounds. On Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, the fight was shown live on Sky Sports. On the night, Usyk defeated Gwoacki in a thrilling 12-round match, with the judges scoring it 119–111, 117–111, and 117–111, all in Usyk's favour. The decision also ended Usyk's streak of humiliation. Usyk dominated the fight with his footwork, superior hand speed, and spearing jab, injuring Goopacki's eye early in the game, causing a bloody cut that continued to bleed for the remainder of the game.

On the 17th of December 2016, Usyk revealed that he would make his American debut on the Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Smith Jr. undercard. The show will be held at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Usyk will defend his WBO title against Thabiso Mchunu, a 28-year-old South African boxer (17-2, 11 KOs), on November 11th. Mchunu had previously lost to Ilunga Makabu via eleventh-round stoppage, despite being ahead of the scorecards at the time. The game started slow, causing the fans to boo with indignation. With his trademark, accurate combinations, the pace slowed after the first two rounds, when Usyk began breaking down Mchunu. Usyk scored a knockdown in the sixth round and two more in the ninth, causing referee Lou Moret to call off the match at 2:53 of round 9. According to CompuBox results, Usyk landed 163 of 517 punches (32%), and Mchunu landed 76 of his 278 (27%).

Usyk expressed his desire to combat other cruiserweight titlists as well as Anthony Joshua at heavyweight prior to fighting Anthony Joshua at heavyweight. According to HBO's coverage, the show attracted 560,000 viewers: this was considered good news considering that it was Usyk's first appearance on HBO and on the undercard.

Usyk will return to regular HBO to defend his cruiserweight world champion title in April 2017. He had intended to appear on the undercard of the Golovkin-Jacobs HBO PPV in March at Madison Square Garden, but Usyk was disapproved because Román González and Carlos Cuadras were due to appear in separate fights and not face each other.

Usyk revealed on February 12th that he had parted with long-time trainer James Ali Bashir and replaced him with Valiant Lomachenko's father and mentor, Anatoly Lomachenko. Usyk will be a part of a triple header featuring Valiant Lomachenko at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on April 8, 2017 against Michael Hunter (12-0, 8 KOs). Usyk weighed in at 199.4 pounds, while Hunter came in at 199 pounds. Usyk was defeated for the second time in his career by a narrow majority in attendance at 2,828, where majority Ukrainian fans were in attendance. Hunter dominated the first three rounds behind the jab. The majority of the remaining rounds were not until the fourth round, when Usyk took over the match by using his left and connecting well to the body. Hunter was gifted going the distance, but referee Bill Clancy in the championship rounds should have stopped the match. In the last minute of round 12, it appeared that while punching punches, Hunter was only standing because the wires were holding him up. Hunter was given a standing eight count by the referee, who declared it a blow for Usyk. Usyk's unanimously 117–110 win was decided by the three judges. Although he took him a few rounds to get into the fight, Usyk was happy with his results and called out other titleholders, saying, "I'm really pleased with my results." I did what I wanted to do. He had a lot of punches. (in the 12th round), I was hoping they would stop the match. Anytime, any place" would be able to face any of the titleholders.

According to CompuBox punch facts, Usyk delivered 321 of his 905 punches, 39 percent. Hunter hit the ground 24% of his punches, resulting in 190 of 794. On HBO, the game attracted an average of 679,000 viewers and a peak of 774,000 viewers.

Usyk eventually revealed that he would compete with Mairis Briedis, Murat Gassiev, Yuniel Dorticos, Marco Huck, and Krzysztof Wrzysztof Wrzysztof Wrztof Wrzysztof Wrzysztof Wrzysztof Wrzysztof Wrotztof Wrzysztof Wrzys "I'm excited and inspired by the prospect of such a tournament," he said. "I've been wishing to see who is the best and becomes the undisputed king of the division." The draw was set to take place in Monte Carlo on July 8th. The tournament's champion will be awarded a grand prize and the Muhammad Ali trophy.

Usyk, the first pick, chose Marco Huck over Marco Huck (40–4–1, 27 KOs). "Because of my followers," Usyk said when asked why he chose Huck. Usyk was his 'good enemy,' Huck, who was also excited, told him. The fight would take place at the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin on September 26, 2017. It would be his second time Usyk would fight in Germany as a professional, having participated in his third professional match in April 2014. It would also be the first match of the tournament.

In the face-off on September 6, 2017, Huck pushed Usyk in the final press conference. "I wanted to tell Usyk that he is in my hometown and that he should be well prepared for the war of his life on Saturday," Huck said. "You have to beat the best, and Huck is one of the best," Usyk said, who remained courteous and calm. I chose this tournament because it would fulfill my goal of unifying all the belts. The Muhammad Ali Trophy, a prestigious award, is also on the line. We were born on the same day, and I love Ali because he is the best role model in boxing, and I would thank God if I win a trophy with his name on it." Usyk said he'bury' Huck as he left the building.

Usyk won on TKO night thanks to his footwork and combination punching. Usyk blasted Huck throughout the match, despite his dominant appearance. In round 8, Usyk tripped on Huck's feet and Huck lost a point on the scorecards as he threw a punch at Usyk when the latter was down. The usyk continued to land combinations with little to no response from Huck until referee Robert Byrd called the fight in the tenth round. With the victory, Usyk advanced to the semi-finals of the Super Series, where they would meet the Mairis Briedis vs. Mike Perez contest winner on September 30.

Following the latter's victory over Perez by unanimous decision, Usyk will meet Mairis Briedis (23–0, 18 KOs). The brawl will be held in Riga, Latvia, on January 27, 2018, a week before Gassiev vs. Dorticos took place in November 2017. Arna R.ga was named as the location by Comosa Chief Boxing Officer Kalle Sauerland. Usyk weighed 199.5 pounds, while Briedis weighed 199.1 pounds. After defeating Briedis by majority vote, Usyk advanced to the final of the tournament. Usyk dominated the majority of the fight with his jab, using pressure as needed. Briedis was credited with striking the hardest blows. Both the first four rounds were closely fought, with Usyk being suspended in the third round due to a chance clash of heads. Usyk got busier and took over the game, but Briedis hit him right in the head with some hard shots. One judge ruled the contest 114-114, whilst the other two judges ruled in favour of Usyk, who gave him the victory. Usyk described it as the worst fight of his career after the war. According to CompuBox Statistics, Usyk landed 212 of 848 punches (25%) while Briedis was more accurate, landing 195 of his 579 (33.7%). Usyk got 40% of his power punches. Many boxers and pundits lauded the fight.

It was announced in the post-fight press conference that the final would take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on May 11th. However, when Murat Gassiev (26-0, 19 KOs) stopped Yuniel Dorticos, advancing to the final of the tournament, Umar Kremlev, the Russian Boxing Federation's secretary general, announced that he would press forward in order to exclude Saudi Arabia and have the final of the tournament take place in Russia on the Day of Russian Boxing. It was announced on April 16th that Usyk had suffered an elbow injury during preparation, sending the final to possibly June or July 2018. Kremlev announced that the final would be held on July 21 at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia, on June 18, during a press conference. The final was announced on June 29th. 7,000 tickets were sold on the first day. Both boxers weighed in at 198.45 pounds at the weigh-in.

Usyk took over the fight quickly, accelerating and employing his "beautiful, commandeering jab." Usyk dominated the battle, but not allowing Gassiev to use his power. Gassiev did not land a solid punch until the end of round 2. Usyk was outclassed, outboxed, and dominated Gassiev, according to several sources. The result was never in doubt, as Usyk was proclaimed the champion by unanimous vote, with judges' scorecards ranging 120–108, 109, and 119–109. Lonnie Ali, Muhammad Ali's widow, presented the award to Usyk. Both fighters were examples of good sportsmanship after the war, with Gassiev saying, "I had the best competitor of my professional career" after the war, and that today is Oleksandr's day." "My team made me look like I looked in the ring," Usyk mumbled. "This is our victory." With the victory, Usyk became the first undisputed cruiserweight champion in history. Usyk dominated through, with 252 of 939 fist punches (27%), up from Gassiev's 91 landing of 313 thrown (29%). Usyk came to an end in round 12, while still increasing his output by landing 47 of 117 punches in round 12. Usyk was able to withstand the 32 power body shots he received and moved about the ring.

Bang!

Daddy's in the building!

After losing the tournament, Bellew announced on social media that he would return to fight; however, he did not announce that the fight will take place in 2018 and not for the undisputed cruiserweight championship. Bellew argued that a heavyweight match would not be as exciting because he would not gain much from a victory. Bellew also stated that this will be his last fight as a professional. It was anticipated that the confrontation would take place in November 2018 in London by the end of July. After good meetings with Bellew's promoter Eddie Hearn and K2's Alexander Krassyuk on August 20, Boxing Scene announced that the contest was scheduled to take place on September 10th. K2 Promotions announced the date of the fight a week earlier this week. The WBA ordered Usyk to begin negotiations with Denis Lebedev (30-2, 22 KO), their 'champion in recess,' and that they would not hear anything until the first week of October 2018 to complete talks. The potential Usyk vs. Bellew brawl was expected to be a stumbling block. According to Hearn, the war was likely to be postponed until 2019. Bellew wrote that the war must take place in 2018 prior to negotiations.

Usyk signed a multi-fight contract with Matchroom Boxing on September 7, ensuring he would compete exclusively on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and DAZN in the United States. Matchroom will co-promote Usyk with K2 Promotions as a result of the deal. According to Hearn, Usyk's next fight will be announced 'in the very near future.' The Usyk vs. Bellew fight was announced on November 10th, live and exclusive on Sky Box Office, just a week after signing with Matchroom. Terry O'Connor, a veteran British referee, was named as the official. Bellew weighed 1991–4 pounds, just over two years since he last met the cruiserweight record, and Usyk weighed 1981–4 pounds.

Usyk, a slow starter, eventually took full responsibility of the fight and stopped Bellew in round 8 to keep all the cruiserweight belts intact. The official time of the stoppage was 2:00 0n round 8. Since the two boxers treated each other with such reverence, there was very little action in round 1. It was a feeling out round. The audience booed the first time due to a lack of action. Overall, Usyk had only 3 jabs and Bellew had 1 power shot. Round 2 was similar, but Bellew stepped on the gas and landed some clean shots as well as some showboating. Bellew took over in round 3, where they had two straight right hands. Usyk began using his jab more, and Bellew was left slightly shaken after landing an overhand left. Bellew was backed up against the ropes and seemed to be wearing out by the time round 4 came to an end. Bellew fired the majority of his shots to Usyk's body and by round 7, he was missing a lot of shots, mainly due to Usyk's foot mobility, and ended the round with a bloody nose. Usyk landed a hard left in round 8, but not in a neutral corner, causing him to turn away from the ropes. Bellew's left hand wobbled him until Usyk finished him off with a new left, knocking Bellew backwards with his head landing on the bottom rope. Referee Terry O'Connor called for a brave Bellew to get up slowly and beat the clock, but referee Terry O'Connor called the fight off. Bellew's 10-fight winning streak came to an end. Judges Alejandro Cid and Steve Gray scored the first seven rounds, 68–65 and 66–66 respectively in favor of Bellew and Yury Koptsev, who had the war 67-67 in round 8.

"I have been doing this for 20 years, and it is over," Bellew said as he announced his exit from boxing. Usyk said 2018 was the most difficult year of his career, but it was also the most rewarding. "We need to put goals in front of us and move forward." Usyk later stated. During Bellew's post-fight interview, there was no doubt, although some felt he was obviously concussed. According to compubox results, Usyk landed 112 of his 424 punches (26%) while Bellew landed 61 of his 268 thrown (23%). Both fired 47 power shots per piece.

Usyk declared that he wanted to get to heavyweight after defeating Bellew. Carlos Takam (36-5-1, 28 KO) was announced as his challenger in the fight scheduled for May 25, 2019. Usyk had sustained a bicep injury on 7 May. The bout had to be postponed for a date in September, but it would be broadcast on DAZN. Promoter Eddie Hearn said in an interview that Carlos Takam is "out of the fight" and "will not be taking the fight" following the Golovkin vs. Derevyanchenko press conference on August 22nd. As part of WBO rules, Usyk had the option to challenge Anthony Joshua, the rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua for the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles as the immediate challenger when moving up or down in weight.

Usyk's heavyweight debut was scheduled to take place in September at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, against Tyrone Spong (14-0, 13 KOs). Spong tested positive for a banned drug, clomiphene, a few days before the war, and the fight was called into disarray. Eddie Hearn, the promoter, confirmed that there are several backup fighters being considered. Chazz Witherspoon was then named as Spong's replacement (38-3, 29 KOs). After round 7, Usyk won the fight, with Witherspoon retiring in his corner.

Usyk will face former world champion Derek Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs) on May 23, 2020 at The O2 Arena in London, on March 11, 2020. If Usyk's popularity, he will be first in line to face Anthony Joshua for the WBO heavyweight title. Usyk sparred with former unified heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko on occasion as part of his preparations for his fights. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fight was postponed until October 31, 2020, and the venue was relocated to the SSE Arena. Usyk won a unanimous decision by scores of 117–112, 115–113. Chisora had been drained and exhaustion later in the war, trying to keep up with Usyk. Usyk reiterated his desire to combat Joshua in a post-fight interview, adding, "Anthony, how are you?" says Usyk. Anthony, I'm coming to you."

Anthony Joshua, the undefeated WBC and The Ring champion who Usyk was the WBO's legitimate challenger, had been discussing to face undefeated WBC and The Ring champion Tyson Fury. The WBO said Joshua's camp 48 hours to come to an agreement for the fight with Fury on May 21, 2021, instead of forcing Deontay Wilder in a triple match due to an arbitration decision, rather than order Joshua to face Usyk. Joshua and Fury's camps were unable to reach an agreement, and the WBO issued the warning on May 22 that Joshua would have to face Usyk, despite a deal for the match being in force by 31 May. Usyk responded to these events with a video message directed to Joshua's manager Eddie Hearn, telling him, "Eddie, I want money, more money."

An official announcement was made on July 20th, informing that the game between Usyk and Joshua would be held on September 25th at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Despite numerous fans and pundits' doubts that Usyk would have the strength or strength to surprise Joshua, Usyk's comeback, outboxing the champ and rocking him several times over 12 rounds to claim a unanimous decision victory, 116–112 and 115–113, which maintained his undefeated record. "This means a lot to me," Usyk said after reflecting on his results in his post-fight interview. The war went the way I had expected it to go. Anthony pounded me at times, but it wasn't unusual. Because my neighbor told me not to do it, I had no intention to knock him out. I tried to hurt him in the beginning, but then I stuck to my job." On June 22, it was confirmed that a match was scheduled to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on August 20th, with Usyk defending the WBA, WBO, and IBF championship belts and Joshua as the opponent.

On September 29, 2021, four days after Usyk defeated Anthony Joshua to become unified world heavyweight champion, his promoter Alexander Krassyuk revealed that a one-sided rematch provision had "already been enabled in principle" from Joshua's camp. Usyk relished the possibility of squaring off against Joshua twice, according to Krassyuk: "So I remember when we talked to Oleksandr about the rematch and how we discussed it, we were thrilled and shouted "I will beat Antokha [sic] twice." Usyk expressed disappointment that the match would be held in his home country, Ukraine, saying, "I would love to see the rematch at Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv." However, Joshua Hearn's promoter, Eddie Hearn, said that Ukraine was a "very odd" destination to raise money because it would be international or the United Kingdom: "I believe it will be in the United Kingdom" as he wanted to maximize wealth: "I believe it will be in the United Kingdom."

A potential Usyk-Joshua match was put into question after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24-2022. Usyk revealed that he had returned to Ukraine and pleaded with Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the invasion with a single video captioned "NO WAR" in the days leading up to the invasion. Usyk revealed in a video interview with American news network CNN on March 2 that he had taken up arms and joined a Ukrainian territorial defense battalion. "I honestly don't know when I'm going to be stepping back in the ring," Usyk said of his professional boxing career. My country and my name are more important to me than a championship belt. Usyk was announced in late March that it would leave Ukraine to begin preparations for the match against Joshua. Usyk revealed that he and his younger brother Wladimir Klitschko, also a former heavyweight champion who had been defeated by Anthony Joshua in 2017, helped him to leave his homeland and refocus his attention on boxing.

Usyk would face Joshua in a rematch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on September 1922. Joshua's twelfth world heavyweight title match was the first defense of Usyk's world heavyweight titles, while others saw their first defense of his world heavyweight titles. The contest was also a fight by Joshua for a third world heavyweight champion.

Despite Joshua's much improved result in comparison to his first loss to Usyk, the former champion defended his belts.

Joshua landed 37 body punches compared to 15 in their first battle, according to New York Times reports. Nevertheless, Usyk defeated Joshua by 170 of 712 punches, relative to Joshua's 124. According to CompuBox, Usyk set new records for punches landed by an Anthony Joshua (1701) and the majority punches landed on Joshua in a single round (39 punches in the 10th round).

The split decision was contentious and surprised the vast majority of viewers. Glenn Feldman's scorecard was "horrible," according to the Ring magazine. Promoter Lou DiBella and boxing instructor Teddy Atlas were among those who had criticized his judging.

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