Usyk was the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis was stripped of the title on 12 April 2000,[3] and the first heavyweight in history to hold the world titles of all four major sanctioning bodies—the World Boxing Association (WBA) (Super title), World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxing Federation (IBF), and World Boxing Organization (WBO)—in the four-belt era.[4] He previously held the undisputed cruiserweight championship from 2018 to 2019, and is the first boxer to become the undisputed champions in these two weight classes since Evander Holyfield in 1990.
As an amateur, Usyk won heavyweight gold medals at the 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics while accumulating a record of 335 wins and 15 losses. He turned professional in 2013, winning his first world title in 2016. By winning the undisputed cruiserweight championship in 2018, in his 15th professional fight, Usyk became the first Ukrainian undisputed champion in history. Three of his four titles were won during the inaugural World Boxing Super Series tournament, in which he won the Muhammad Ali Trophy, as well as the Ring and lineal titles.
He vacated his cruiserweight titles in 2019 to move up to heavyweight. In 2021, Usyk defeated unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua to win the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles. He defended the titles in a rematch against Joshua in 2022, while winning the vacant Ring title. In May 2024, Usyk defeated Tyson Fury to claim the WBC title and the undisputed championship in his second weight class.
Early life
Usyk was born in Simferopol, Crimean Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union on 17 January 1987, to parents originally from northern Ukraine. His mother was born in the Chernihiv region (in the village of Rybotyn, Korop Raion),[5][6] while his father was a native of Sumy.[7][5] His mother worked in construction and moved to Simferopol to study.[7] His father was a military man who passed through Afghanistan, working as a security guard in Crimea, and the two met there.
He is the first born of his family and he has two siblings.[8] Until age 15, he played football and was trained at the SC Tavriya Simferopol specialized sports school of Olympic reserve (club's football academy).[9] In 2002 Usyk switched to boxing. He is a graduate of Lviv State University of Physical Culture.
Usyk retired from amateur boxing with a record of 335−15.[15]
Prior to turning professional, he competed in the heavyweight division (91+ kg) of the 2012–13 World Series of Boxing (WSB), as part of team Ukraine Otamans, winning all six of his bouts with two by stoppage (Junior Fa by UD, Eric Brechlin by 3rd-round TKO, Joe Joyce by UD, Magomedrasul Majidov by UD, Matteo Modugno by 2nd-round TKO and Mihai Nistor by UD).[16][17]
Professional career
Early career
Usyk turned pro in late 2013 at the age of 26 and signed a promotional deal with the Klitschko brothers' K2 Promotions, fighting in the cruiserweight division.[18]
On 9 November 2013 Usyk made his professional debut by defeating Mexican fighter Felipe Romero via a fifth-round knockout.[19] The following month he stopped 38 year old Epifanio Mendoza in four rounds.[20] In his third professional fight on 26 April 2014, Usyk made his debut in Germany on the undercard of Klitschko-Leapai at the Koenig Pilsener Arena, defeating Ben Nsafoah via third-round knockout.[21] A month later, Usyk returned home and scored a fourth-round knockout-victory over Argentine Cesar David Crenz.
Rise up the ranks
Usyk's fight with Andrey Knyazev attracted 3.6 million viewers on Ukrainian television[22]
Usyk won his first title on 4 October 2014, after beating South African boxer Daniel Bruwer via seventh-round technical knockout (TKO) for the interimWBO Inter-Continental cruiserweight title.[23] Usyk defended the title two months later, stopping 35 year old Danie Venter in the ninth-round.[24] Usyk was ahead on all three judges' scorecards at the time of stoppage.
Usyk made another defence on 18 April 2015, against former Russian cruiserweight champion Andrey Knyazev (11–1, 6 KOs) in Kyiv. After seven one-sided rounds, referee Mickey Vann finally stopped the fight in round eight after deciding Knyazev had taken too much punishment. This win kept Usyk on course to a WBO title fight against then champion Marco Huck.[25]
On 29 August 2015, Usyk defeated former South African light heavyweight champion Johnny Muller via third-round TKO at the Sport Palace in Kyiv, which saw Usyk control the fight with a jab. Usyk knocked down Muller twice in round three and although Muller protested, the referee waved the fight off with one second of the round left.[26]
Usyk made a fourth and final defense against unknown Cuban boxer Pedro Rodriguez in a scheduled 12-round fight on 12 December at the Sport Palace. Usyk won the fight scoring, his ninth straight knockout in as many fights, first dropping Rodriguez in round six with an uppercut before the fight was stopped in round seven, being knocked down again, although he beat the count. This win put Usyk at the WBO's number 1 position, with a World title fight on the cards for 2016.[27]
WBO cruiserweight champion
Usyk vs. Głowacki
In June 2016, it was announced that Usyk would challenge undefeated Polish boxer Krzysztof Głowacki (26–0, 16 KOs) for his WBO cruiserweight title on 17 September, at the Ergo Arena, Gdansk, Poland.[28][29][30] It was reported that Usyk's trainer James Ali Bashir wanted to recruit former world champion Antonio Tarver as a sparring partner. It was said that Tarver not only requested too much money, but also wanted to appear on the card as a co-featured main event.[31] Głowacki weighed 199.3 pounds, with Usyk coming in slightly lighter at 198.75 pounds.[32] The fight was shown live on Sky Sports in the UK.[33] On the night, Usyk outpointed Głowacki after an exciting 12-round fight with the judges scoring it 119–109, 117–111, and 117–111 all in Usyk's favour. The decision win also ended Usyk's knockout streak. Usyk dominated the fight with his footwork, superior hand speed and spearing jab, injuring Głowacki's eye early in the fight, causing a cut that continued to bleed for the remainder of the contest.[34][35]
Usyk vs. Mchunu
Usyk announced he would be making his American debut on the Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Smith Jr. undercard on 17 December 2016. The fight would take place at the Forum in Inglewood, California.[36] On 11 November K2 Promotions announced Usyk would be defending his WBO title against 28 year old South African boxer Thabiso Mchunu (17–2, 11 KOs). Mchunu previously lost to Ilunga Makabu via eleventh-round stoppage, although being ahead on the scorecards at the time.[37][38] The fight started out slow, causing the fans in attendance to boo with displeasure. The pace picked up after the first couple of rounds when Usyk began breaking down Mchunu with his trademark, accurate combinations. Usyk scored a knockdown in the sixth round, and a further two more in the ninth, causing referee Lou Moret to wave off the fight at 2:53 of round 9.[39]CompuBox statistics showed that Usyk landed 163 of 517 punches thrown (32%), and Mchunu landed 76 of his 278 (27%).[40]
Prior to the fight, Usyk spoke of his desire to fight other cruiserweight titlists as well as fighting Anthony Joshua at heavyweight.[41][42] The fight averaged 560,000 viewers on HBO: this was considered good numbers, considering it was Usyk's HBO debut and on the undercard.[43]
Usyk vs. Hunter
K2 Promotions announced that Usyk would be returning to regular HBO to defend his cruiserweight world title in April 2017. He was originally planned to appear on the undercard of the Golovkin-Jacobs HBO PPV in March at Madison Square Garden; however, since Román González and Carlos Cuadras were scheduled to appear in separate fights and not fight each other, Usyk was pulled from the card.[44]
On 12 February 2017, Usyk announced that he had parted ways with long time trainer James Ali Bashir and replaced him with Vasiliy Lomachenko's father and trainer, Anatoly Lomachenko.[45][46]Bob Arum announced that Usyk would be part of a triple header including Vasiliy Lomachenko at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on 8 April 2017 against Michael Hunter (12–0, 8 KOs).[47] Usyk weighed 199.4 whilst Hunter came in at 199 pounds.[48] In front of a sold-out crowd of 2,828, where there was majority Ukrainian fans in attendance, Usyk was taken the distance for the second time in his career and won a rather one-sided unanimous decision to retain his WBO title. Hunter unexpectedly controlled the first three rounds behind the jab. It wasn't until the fourth round, when Usyk took control of the bout using his left and connecting well to the body to win the majority of the remaining rounds. Pundits thought Hunter was gifted going the distance and the fight should have been stopped by referee Bill Clancy in the championship rounds. In the last minute of round 12, it appeared Hunter, while taking punches, was only standing because the ropes where holding him up. The referee halted the action and gave Hunter a standing eight count, ruling it a knockdown for Usyk. All three judges scored the fight unanimously 117–110 for Usyk. Although it took him a few rounds to get into the fight, Usyk was happy with his performance and called out other titleholders, "I'm very happy with my performance. I did what I wanted to do. He took a lot of punches. I thought maybe they would stop the fight (in the 12th round). I'd love to fight any of the titleholders, any time, any place."[49]
According to CompuBox punch stats, Usyk landed 321 of his 905 punches thrown, 36%. Hunter managed to land 24% of his punches, connecting 190 of 794.[50] The fight drew an average of 679,000 viewers on HBO and peaked at 774,000 viewers.[51][52]
On 1 July 2015, Usyk finally announced that he would join fellow cruiserweights Mairis Briedis, Murat Gassiev, Yuniel Dorticos, Marco Huck and Krzysztof Włodarczyk in the eight-man bracket style tournament, due to start in September 2017. He said, "I feel happy and inspired with the idea of such a tournament. I've been dreaming of putting together all the champs to see who is the strongest and becomes the undisputed king of the division." The draw was to take place on 8 July in Monte Carlo. The winner of the tournament would receive a grand money prize and the Muhammad Ali trophy.[53]
At the Draft Gala, Usyk, who had first pick, chose to fight former WBO champion Marco Huck (40–4–1, 27 KOs). When asked why he chose Huck, Usyk said, "Because of my fans." Huck, who was equally excited, replied that Usyk was his 'wish opponent'.[54] On 26 July it was announced that the fight would take place at the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin on 9 September 2017. This would mark the second time Usyk would fight in Germany as a professional, having fought there in his third professional bout in April 2014. It would also mark the first fight of the tournament.[55][56][57]
On 6 September 2017, at the final press-conference, Huck pushed Usyk in the face-off. In regards to the shove, Huck said, "I wanted to show Usyk that he is in my hometown and that he should be prepared for the battle of his life on Saturday." Usyk, who remained professional and calm, replied, "If you want to be a great champion, you have to beat the best and Huck is one of the best. I chose to enter this tournament because it is a path to achieve my dream of unifying all the belts. There's a prestigious trophy at stake too, the Muhammad Ali Trophy. We were born on the same day and I admire Ali because he is the biggest role model in boxing and I will thank God if I win a trophy with his name on it."[58] As he was leaving the building, Usyk claimed he would 'bury' Huck.[59]
On fight night, Usyk used his footwork and combination punching to cruise to a TKO win. On top of his dominant performance, Usyk taunted Huck throughout the fight. 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. Usyk continued to land combinations with little to no response from Huck until referee Robert Byrd stopped the fight in the tenth-round. With the win, Usyk progressed to the semi-final stage of the Super Series and was to face the winner of the Mairis Briedis vs. Mike Perez, scheduled for 30 September.[60][61]
Usyk would next fight Mairis Briedis (23–0, 18 KOs) following the latter's win over Perez via unanimous decision.[62][63][64] In November 2017, it was reported the fight would take place on 27 January 2018 in Riga, Latvia, a week before Gassiev vs. Dorticos takes place.[65]Arēna Rīga was confirmed as the location by Comosa's Chief Boxing Officer Kalle Sauerland.[66] Usyk came in at 199.5 pounds and Briedis weighed 199.1 pounds.[67] Usyk moved on to the final of the tournament after winning a close fight against Briedis via majority decision. With a high work rate, Usyk controlled most of the fight with his jab, applying pressure when needed. Briedis was credited with landing the harder punches. The opening four rounds were closely contested, with Usyk receiving a cut over his right eye from an accidental clash of heads in the third round. From round five, Usyk became busier and took control of the fight, although he was still hit with some hard shots to the head from Briedis. One judge scored the fight 114–114, whilst the remaining two judges scored the fight 115–113 in favour of Usyk, giving him the win. After the fight, Usyk stated it was the hardest fight of his career.[68][69] According to CompuBox Stats, Usyk landed 212 of 848 punches thrown (25%) and Briedis was more accurate, landing 195 of his 579 thrown (33.7%). Usyk landed 40% of his power punches.[70] Many boxers and pundits praised the fight.[71]
Undisputed cruiserweight champion
Usyk vs. Gassiev
After Usyk defeated Briedis, it was announced in the post-fight press conference that the final would take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 11 May 2018.[72] However, once Murat Gassiev (26–0, 19 KOs) stopped Yuniel Dorticos, setting up the final, the secretary general of the Russian Boxing Federation, Umar Kremlev, stated that he would push forward in order to outbid Saudi Arabia and have the final of the tournament take place in Russia on the Day of Russian Boxing on 22 July. On 16 April, it was reported that Usyk had suffered an elbow injury during training, pushing the final to possibly June or July 2018.[73][74] On 18 June, at a press conference, Kremlev announced the final would take place on 21 July at the Olympic Stadium, Moscow, Russia.[75] On 29 June, the final was officially confirmed.[76] On the release date, 7,000 tickets were sold.[77] Both boxers came in at 198.45 pounds at the weigh-in.[78]
Usyk quickly took control of the fight, moving rapidly and using his "beautiful, commandeering jab", while not allowing Gassiev to use his power. Gassiev did not land a solid punch until the end of round 2. According to many reports, Usyk outclassed, outboxed, and dominated Gassiev. The result was never in question as Usyk was declared the winner by unanimous decision, with the judges’ scorecards reading 120–108, 119–109, and 119–109.[79] Usyk's dominance was reflected in the punch stats, as CompuBox recorded him landing 252 of 939 thrown punches (27%), compared to Gassiev's 91 landed of 313 thrown (29%). Usyk used his superior conditioning to finish the fight, increasing his output by landing 47 of 117 punches thrown in round 12. Usyk managed to withstand the 32 power body shots he received and continued to move around the ring.[80] Muhammad Ali's widow, Lonnie Ali, presented the trophy to Usyk. After the fight, both combatants were exemplars of good sportsmanship, embracing, with Gassiev saying "I had the best opponent of my professional career ... today is Oleksandr's day". Usyk humbly added "My team made me look like I looked in the ring. This is our victory". The win made Usyk the first ever four-belt undisputed cruiserweight champion.[81][82]
When asked whom he would like to fight next, Usyk said, "At this time I have heard that Tony Bellew wants to fight the winner of the Muhammad Ali Trophy. I hope he will see me talking.... 'hey Tony Bellew, are you ready?' If he doesn't want to go down [in weight], I will go up [in weight] for him. I will eat more spaghetti for my dinner!" Also after the fight Usyk said: "Olympic [stadium], thanks. People, countrymen and those who supported. Moscow 2018. Bang! Daddy's in the building!".[83][84]
After calling out Tony Bellew (30-2-1, 20 KOs) after winning the tournament, Bellew responded via social media that he would accept the fight; however, he stated the fight would need to take place in 2018 and be for the undisputed cruiserweight championship. Bellew believed a fight at heavyweight would not be as appealing as he would not gain much with a win. Bellew also stated it would be his last fight as a professional.[85][86] By the end of July, it was said the fight would likely take place in November 2018 in London.[87] After positive meetings between Bellew's promoter Eddie Hearn and K2's Alexander Krassyuk, on 20 August, Boxing Scene reported the fight was likely to take place on 10 November 2018.[88][89] A week later, K2 Promotions confirmed the date of the fight.[90] On 5 September, the WBA ordered Usyk to start negotiating with Denis Lebedev (30–2, 22 KO), who was their 'champion in recess' and gave them until the first week of October 2018 to complete negotiations.[91] There was said to be a stumbling block for the potential Usyk vs. Bellew fight. According to Hearn, the fight was likely to be pushed back to 2019. Prior to negotiations, Bellew stated the fight must happen in 2018.[92][93]
On 7 September, Usyk signed a multi-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing, which meant he would fight exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in USA. The agreement meant Matchroom would co-promote Usyk alongside K2 Promotions. Usyk's next fight would be confirmed 'in the very near future', according to Hearn.[94][95] A week after signing with Matchroom, the Usyk vs. Bellew fight was announced to take place on 10 November at the Manchester Arena, live and exclusive on Sky Box Office.[96][97] Experienced British referee Terry O'Connor was named as the official.[98] Bellew weighed 199+1⁄4 pounds, just over 2 years since he last made the cruiserweight limit and Usyk weighed 198+1⁄4 pounds.[99]
On fight night, Usyk, who is usually a slow starter, eventually took full control of the bout and stopped Bellew in round 8 to retain all the cruiserweight belts. The official time of the stoppage was at 2:00 of round 8. There was very little action in round 1 as both boxers showed each other respect. It was a feeling out round. Due to the lack of action, the crowd began to boo towards the end of the first. Overall, Usyk landed just 3 jabs and Bellew landed 1 power shot. Round 2 was similar, however Bellew stepped on the gas, managed to land some clean shots along with some showboating. Bellew took control in round 3, landing two straight right hands. Usyk began using his jab more and after landing an overhand left, Bellew was left slightly shaken. By the end of round 4, Bellew was backed up against the ropes and looked to tire. Bellew aimed most of his shots to Usyk's body and by round 7, was missing a lot of shots, mostly due to Usyk's foot movement, and ended the round with a bloody nose. In round 8, whilst in a neutral corner, Usyk landed a hard left, again buzzing Bellew, forcing him to move away against the ropes. Another left hand wobbled Bellew before Usyk finished him off with another left, dropping Bellew backwards with his head landing on the bottom rope. A brave Bellew tried to get up slowly and beat the count but referee Terry O'Connor stopped the fight. Bellew's 10-fight winning streak came to an end. Judges Alejandro Cid and Steve Gray scored the first seven rounds 68–65 and 67–66 respectively in favour of Bellew and Yury Koptsev had the fight 67–67 entering round 8.[100][101]
Afterwards, Bellew paid tribute to Usyk and announced his retirement from boxing, saying; "I have been doing this for 20 years, and it is over." Usyk stated 2018 was the most difficult year of his career, but most successful. "We need to put goals in front of us and move towards them," Usyk later stated.[102][103] There was a small concern during Bellew's post-fight interview as many felt he was clearly concussed.[104] According to CompuBox stats, Usyk landed 112 of his 424 punches thrown (26%) and Bellew landed 61 of his 268 thrown (23%). Both landed 47 power shots each.[105]
Heavyweight
"I've been boxing since I was 15 years old. They kept telling me that I shouldn't be boxing. They told me that I wouldn't become an Olympic champion or a world champion and that I shouldn't have switched to the heavyweight division. But these were opinions from people who couldn't do it themselves. Personally, I keep praying and move forward. I don't worry about whether I will reach my destination."
After defeating Bellew, Usyk declared his intention to move up to heavyweight. Carlos Takam (36-5-1, 28 KO) was announced as his opponent, with the fight scheduled for 25 May 2019. On 7 May, it was reported that Usyk had suffered a bicep injury. The bout was rescheduled for a date in September, to be featured on DAZN.[107] On 22 August, following the Golovkin vs. Derevyanchenko press conference, promoter Eddie Hearn revealed in an interview that Carlos Takam is "out of the fight" and "will not be taking the fight".[108] Usyk also had the option to challenge the winner of the rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua for the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles as the mandatory for the WBO belt, as per WBO regulations, which allow a 'super champion' of a weight class to become an immediate mandatory challenger when moving up or down in weight.[109]
Usyk vs. Witherspoon
On 3 September 2019, it was announced by Matchroom Boxing and K2 Promotions that Usyk's heavyweight debut as well as his American debut would be on 12 October, at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, against 33 year old undefeated heavyweight Tyrone Spong (14–0, 13 KOs). Spong held the WBO and WBC Latino heavyweight titles and was only taken the distance in 2018 where he defeated Ytalo Perea. Usyk wanted to challenge himself on his first heavyweight fight. He acknowledged Spong for being fast and powerful.[110][111][112] Usyk's US debut was coming along as a success before even stepping into the ring as only two weeks after the fight was announced, over 6,000 tickets were sold, including all lower bowl and floor seats. it was said that around 600 tickets remained.[113] A few days before the fight, Spong tested positive for a banned substance, clomiphene, and the fight was thrown into disarray. Promoter Eddie Hearn said there were several backup fighters being considered.[114][115] Spong and his team were not happy that Eddie Hearn had received the news and already put out a post on his social media about Spong being replaced before they had received an email about it. The announced face-off that day was immediately called off. According to Spong's manager Marcos Gonzales, he had been tested negative for other tests. On the positive test, Spong said, “This is a set up. I vehemently deny that I have ever taken the substance named in VADA’s report. I have asked for testing of the B sample at a laboratory of my choosing. Testing performed last week at the request of the Illinois Boxing Commission showed, what I’ve always known, that I’m a clean fighter.” Eddie Hearn confirmed that there was a shortlist of replacements.[116]
Spong's replacement was then announced as 38 year old Chazz Witherspoon (38–3, 29 KOs), mostly known for being former WBA & WBC heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon's cousin.[117][118] Witherspoon, who was on an 8-fight win streak, said he had been training, waiting for a possible call-up. He also warned Usyk, “I have been in training ready for a big fight, and it doesn’t get bigger than this. Oleksandr is stepping up to Heavyweight – and he’s going to find out that it’s a totally different game." Witherspoon felt this was his time to show everyone what he can do on the big stage.[119] For his heavyweight debut, Usyk weighed in at 215 pounds and Witherspoon stepped on the scales at 242 pounds.[120] On fight night, Spong issued a statement confirming his 3rd urine sample, which was tested on October 2, came out as negative, re-iterating his stance as being a clean fighter. He also suggested that the previous two positive results had been manipulated and asked who was responsible.[121]
In front of 9,073 in attendance, Usyk won the fight as Witherspoon retired in his corner after round 7. Witherspoon was more active during the opening rounds. He landed some hard shots which left some bruising over Usyk's right eye. Usyk tried to land shots on the backfoot. By round 5, Witherspoon had slowed down. he was frequently against the ropes and Usyk was able to land clean shots at will. By the end of round 7, it was all Usyk. Witherspoon sat on his stool in the corner exhausted and his trainer Tommy Brooks, told referee Hector Afu to call the fight.[122] During the post-fight interviews, when asked if he could have stopped Witherspoon earlier, Usyk said, “I did what my trainer told me to do. I just follow their orders and that was to box. And I did box but if I had the opportunity, I would take that opportunity.” Usyk was also asked if it felt different at the weight to which he replied, “Yes, there is a little bit of difference but I used to fight as a heavyweight. But yes, it was different.” Usyk referred to fight at heavyweight during the amateurs.[123][124][125] When asked about Usyk's power, Witherspoon said he was not hurt by Usyk's punches, rather criticized his own conditioning for the fight. Witherspoon also predicted that Usyk would be successful as a heavyweight.[126] According to Compubox, Usyk landed 139 punches of 347 thrown (40.1%) and Witherspoon landed only 21 of his 208 thrown (10.1%). Witherspoon did not land more than six punches in a round.[127] Following his heavyweight debut, Usyk said he was ready for a world title fight, mentioning the likes of Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz who were due to fight in December in a rematch. Usyk was WBO's mandatory challenger, so could challenge the winner.[128]
On 11 March 2020, it was announced that Usyk would fight former world title challenger Derek Chisora (32–9, 23 KOs) on 23 May at The O2 Arena in London. The fight was to take place on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and on DAZN in the US. Sky Sports’ Head of Boxing Development Adam Smith, described the fight a "classic Heavyweight clash".[129][130] If successful, Usyk would be first in line to fight for the WBO heavyweight title held by Anthony Joshua.[131]
As part of his preparation for his bouts, Usyk sparred occasionally with former unified heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.[132] Chisora described the fight as his hardest ever. In preparation, he joked that he was taking dance lessons. Chisora said he would come at Usyk non-stop and aware he would have to take five shots before he would land just one. Usyk also acknowledged this was a tough step up in class for him and would treat it as a true test at heavyweight. Chisora was entering the fight on the back of a three-fight win streak, following his stoppage loss to Dillian Whyte in 2018. Eddie Hearn revealed he was surprised Usyk took the fight, but was aware it was the fight Usyk needed to prepare for the world champions at heavyweight. He also said what Usyk gives up in terms of size and power, he would make up skill and speed, which would be key to victory.[133][134][135] For further preparation, Chisora had sparred Byrant Jennings. His manager David Haye was working on getting heavyweights to spar with Chisora who could closely mirror Usyk's quickness. There was additional motivation for Chisora, as a win here would mean he would talk Usyk's WBO mandatory status. Haye revealed the game plan was not to outbox Usyk, but to make the fight rough and high pressure from the start. Haye thought Usyk's team were making a mistake in allowing this fight to take place.[136][137][138] Usyk would be next in line to fight Joshua, who was scheduled to defend his titles against Kubrat Pulev later in the year. Usyk's manager Egis Klimas stated after the Chisora fight, they expected the mandatory to be called despite Joshua and his team discussing long-awaited fights against Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.[139]
On 17 March, there was already talks about sports events being cancelled around UK due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Usyk had not been as active as he wanted to be since his win over Bellew in November 2018. Usyk's training camp was in isolation.[140] Matchroom Boxing had already cancelled their shows around the world for March and April. Hearn confirmed he had contingency plans in place in case any fights were postponed. He had back-up dates in lined up for the Summer. As the days continued, Hearn admitted it was looking less likely the fight would take place on the original scheduled date.[141][142] On 30 March, the British Boxing Board of Control extended the suspension until he end of May, following the guidelines from government and medical authorities, meaning the fight would be postponed.[143] Hearn hinted the fight could take place in Saudi Arabia, if the country was to exit lockdown before the UK. He then said it could take place anywhere outside the UK.. It was looking likely that boxing events would take place from June 2020, without any spectators. Haye told IFL tv the fight needed to take place in front of a crowd.[144][145][146]
A date in October 2020 was being discussed. Usyk and Chisora had continued to train for the upcoming fight.[147] The fight was pushed back to 31 October 2020 due to the and the venue was moved to The SSE Arena in London.[148][149] According to CBS Sports, Chisora was a +475 betting underdog.[150] Usyk was reported to earn a £1.8 million purse.[151] For his second heavyweight fight, Usyk weighed 217 ¼ pounds and Chisora weighed 255 ½ pounds, a 38 pound weight advantage.[152]
On the night, Usyk used his superior footwork and stamina to wear down Chisora and win a unanimous decision victory with scores of 117–112, 115–113, 115–113. In doing so, Usyk passed his first major test at heavyweight. Chisora had become worn and exhausted later on in the fight, struggling to keep up with Usyk. Usyk showed a good chin having taken some big shots from Chisora, who started off the fight quicker. This was one of the reasons for the close cards. Usyk is known for starting slow to figure out his opponents. Many thought Usyk could have tried to end the fight inside the distance from the 9th round as Chisora was showing signs of exhaustion.[153][154][155]
In his post-fight interview, Usyk reiterated his desire to fight Joshua, saying "Anthony, how are you? I'm coming for you, Anthony." Usyk said he didn't want to become just champion, but undisputed champion. Chisora felt he should have won the fight. He said, “Yeah, 100 percent. I was pushing the pace, I gave a couple of rounds away but I was pushing the pace. But the judges saw it a different way." His corner told him between rounds that he was ahead.[156]Compubox showed that Usyk landed 194 of his 674 punches thrown (29%) and Chisora landed 139 of his 625 thrown (22%). Chisora did have the end on power punches, landed 110 compared to 107 from Usyk.[157][158]
Unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, for whom Usyk was the WBO mandatory challenger, had been in negotiations to fight undefeated WBC and The Ring champion Tyson Fury.[159] However, when it appeared that Fury would instead be forced to face former WBC champion Deontay Wilder in a trilogy bout due to an arbitration ruling,[160] the WBO gave Joshua's camp 48 hours to come to an agreement for the fight with Fury on 21 May 2021, or they would instead order Joshua to face Usyk. Joshua and Fury's camps could not reach an agreement, and thus on 22 May the WBO issued the instruction that Joshua would have to fight Usyk, with an agreement for the bout to be in place by 31 May.[161] Usyk reacted to these developments with a video message directed to Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn, telling him, "Eddie, I want money, more money."[162]
On 20 July, an official announcement was made, confirming that the fight between Usyk and Joshua would be taking place on 25 September at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.[163] Although many fans and pundits doubted Usyk would have the size or power to trouble Joshua, Usyk produced an upset, outboxing the champion and rocking him several times over 12 rounds to claim a unanimous decision victory, with scores of 117–112, 116–112 and 115–113, and retained his undefeated record. Reflecting upon his performance in his post-fight interview, Usyk said, "This means a lot for me. The fight went the way I expected it to go. There were moments when Anthony pushed me hard but it was nothing special. I had no objective to knock him out because my corner pushed me not to do that. In the beginning, I tried to hit him hard, but then I stuck to my job."[164] On 22 June, it was announced that a rematch was scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 20 August with Usyk defending the WBA, WBO and IBF championship belts, and Joshua, as the challenger.[165]
On 29 September 2021, four days after Usyk defeated Anthony Joshua to become unified world heavyweight champion, it was announced by his promoter Alexander Krassyuk that a one-sided rematch clause which had been specified in the fight contract had "already been activated in principle, from the side of Joshua." Krassyuk noted that Usyk relished the prospect of squaring off against Joshua twice: "So I remember when we discussed with Oleksandr the issue of rematch, he was delighted and said 'Wow, cool, I will beat Antokha [sic] twice.'"[166] Regarding the venue of the rematch, Usyk made it known that he hoped it would take place in his native country of Ukraine, saying, "I would love to have the rematch at Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv." However, Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, stated that Ukraine was a "very unlikely" venue, as he wanted to maximise income: "I think it will be international or the UK, I would think it would be in the UK."[167]
With the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, a potential Usyk–Joshua rematch was thrown into doubt. In the days following the start of the invasion, Usyk posted on his social media channels to confirm that he had returned to Ukraine, and to plead with Russian PresidentVladimir Putin to stop the invasion, with one video captioned "NO WAR".[168] On 2 March, Usyk confirmed in a video interview with American news network CNN that he had taken up arms and joined a territorial defence battalion in Ukraine. Regarding his professional boxing career, Usyk said, "I really don't know when I'm going to be stepping back in the ring. My country and my honour are more important to me than a championship belt."[169] In late March, it was reported that Usyk would be leaving Ukraine to begin preparations for the rematch with Joshua.[170][171] Usyk revealed his decision to leave his homeland and refocus his efforts on boxing was supported by Mayor of Kyiv and former heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, as well as his younger brotherWladimir Klitschko, also a former heavyweight champion who had been defeated by Anthony Joshua in 2017.[172]
On 19 June 2022, it was officially announced that Usyk would be facing Joshua in a rematch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 20 August. The fight marked the first defense of Usyk's world heavyweight titles, whilst it was Joshua's twelfth consecutive world heavyweight title fight. The fight was also an attempt by Joshua to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.[173]
Despite Joshua's much improved performance compared to his first loss to Usyk,[174][175] the latter successfully defended his belts by a split decision with one judge, Glenn Feldman, scoring the fight 115–113 to Joshua, while the other two judges scoring it 115–113 and 116–112 in Usyk's favour. The split decision was controversial as the majority of viewers expected a unanimous decision for Usyk.[176][177]The Ring magazine called Glenn Feldman's scorecard "horrible".[175] Among those criticizing his judging were promoter Lou DiBella and boxing trainer Teddy Atlas.[176]
According to New York Times statistics, Joshua landed 37 body punches compared to 15 in their first fight.[178] Overall, however, Usyk outperformed Joshua, landing 170 of 712 punches, compared with 124 of 492 for Joshua.[178][179] According to CompuBox, Usyk established new records for punches landed by an opponent (170) and most punches landed on Joshua in a single round (39 punches in the 10th round).[179]
On 3 April 2023, the WBA officially ordered the world title consolidation between unified heavyweight champion Usyk and WBA 'regular' titleholder Daniel Dubois (19-1, 18 KOs). Both parties where given 30-day negotiation period. Earlier reports suggested the fight could take place in London or Manchester in England. Although no date or location had been confirmed, Alex Krassyuk stated the fight could take in a stadium in Poland.[180][181][182] In May 2023, purse bids were held. Usyk's career-long promoter Krassyuk gained control of the fight with a massive bid of $8,057,000, which was more than the $5,620,050 submitted by Queensberry Promotions. A fight date in August was being eyed. As per the purse splits, Usyk was to take home $6,042,750 (75% of the winning bid) and Dubois was to take a career-high $2,014,250 payday.[183] The fight took place on 26 August at the Stadion Wroclaw in Wrocław, Poland for Usyk's WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring titles. The date aligned with Ukraine's Independence Day. An attendance of around 24,000 was expected.[184][185]
While Usyk retained his titles via ninth-round stoppage, there was controversy surrounding the events of the fifth round, when Usyk dropped to the canvas following a punch from Dubois that was controversially ruled a low blow by referee Luis Pabon. Accordingly, Usyk was given a maximum of five minutes to recover, but despite declaring he was ready to continue, Pabon urged Usyk to take more time out. Usyk ultimately used three minutes and forty-five seconds before the fight resumed. Usyk forced Dubois to take a knee in the eighth round and again in the ninth round, where he was counted out.[186][187] According to CompuBox stats, Usyk had outlanded Dubois in every round of the fight, landing 88 of 359 punches thrown (24.5%) to Dubois' 47 of 290 (16.2%). Dubois failed to land double digits in any round of the fight.[188]
Debate subsequently followed regarding the fifth round low blow as many observers felt it should actually have been ruled a legal punch and thus potentially resulted in a KO victory for Dubois. In his post-fight interview, Dubois opined: "I didn't think that was a low blow. I thought that landed, and I’ve been cheated out of victory tonight.” However, Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk argued "The belly button is the line. Anything low of that is a low blow." This argument was echoed by others including boxers Tony Bellew and Liam Smith. [189][190][191]
Usyk faced WBC champion Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[192] The fight contract signing was announced on 29 September 2023, whilst on 16 November 2023 the fight was officially scheduled for 17 February 2024.[193][194] The total purse was reported to be worth around $150 million (£116 million), with Fury being guaranteed 70% of the purse, or £81.2 million (around $105 million), while Usyk was guaranteed $45 million.[195][196][197] On 2 February, it was announced the fight would not be taking place on the 17th as Fury had sustained a cut in training.[198] The fight was rescheduled to 18 May in Saudi Arabia.[199] Usyk told the BBC that he missed the birth of his child while training in Spain and that he would return to Ukraine to see his family before resuming training for the rescheduled fight.[200]
On 18 May, in a historic bout, Usyk defeated Fury via split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four belt era and the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years.[201] The opening rounds of the fight were closely contested, with Usyk applying constant pressure and landing power punches, while Fury found success with his jab, fighting off the back foot. From round 4, Fury became increasingly dominant, appearing to hurt Usyk with uppercuts in round 6. However, in the later rounds Usyk began to mount a comeback, particularly in a dramatic ninth round where he was able to badly hurt Fury with a series of punches, scoring a knockdown near the end of the round as Fury fell into the ropes. Although Fury was able to recover and attempted to rally, the judges ultimately awarded Usyk the split decision victory with scores of 115–112, 113–114, and 114–113.[202][203][204]
Usyk broke down in tears in the ring after his victory was announced and dedicated it to his family, his team, and the people of Ukraine.[205] After the fight, Fury commented: "I believe he won a few of the rounds but I won the majority of them … His country's at war, so people are siding with the country at war, but make no mistake, I won that fight … I'll be back. I've got a rematch clause."[206] Fury raised the possibility of a rematch "in October", and eventually declared: "Happy New Year!"[207] Usyk responded to Fury, stating, "If he wants, I'm ready for a rematch."[208] Usyk supposedly suffered a broken jaw from the bout and went to the hospital after his press conference.[209] Although, Usyk did not break his jaw. Fury was given a one week medical suspension following the fight.[210] CompuBox suggested Usyk had landed 170 of 407 punches (41.8%) compared to Fury's 157 of 496 (31.7%).[211]
Unified heavyweight champion
Usyk vs. Fury II
Usyk and Fury were expected to meet in a rematch in October 2024 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[212] On 29 May 2024 it was announced that the rematch was scheduled for 21 December 2024.[213] The total purse for the rematch was reportedly worth $191 million (£150 million).[214] While the purse split was not disclosed, it was speculated to be either 55/45 or 60/40 in favor of Usyk, which would guarantee him $105–114 million. However, Alexander Krassyuk denied these speculations: "We do not have a specific purse distribution. We have certain agreements: Tyson Fury has agreements with the organizers, and Oleksandr Usyk has agreements with the organizers."[215][216][217] On 25 June, Usyk announced that he was vacating the IBF heavyweight title. This was to allow the Anthony Joshua versus Daniel Dubois fight in September to have the vacant title on the line.[218][219]
Usyk won the bout by unanimous decision with all three ringside judges scoring it 116–112. The fight was just as competitive as the first encounter. By the end of the fight, neither boxer was particularly hurt. Usyk landed with some stinging shots which pushed Fury back, while Fury landed some hard shots to head and body. A few times in the fight Fury turned southpaw. He tried to lean on Usyk and weigh him down, but Usyk did well to fight him off and keep him at a distance. He used his footwork to move strategically around the ring.[220][221][222]
According to CompuBox, Usyk landed 179 punches out of 423 (42.3% accuracy), while Fury connected on 144 punches of 509 (28.3%). Usyk outlanded Fury in rounds 2–3 and 5–12; Fury outlanded Usyk in the fourth (11 punches to 10), while the opening round was even (six punches each). Usyk also connected on more power punches in seven rounds out of twelve, including the first round, while the last round was even (11 shots each).[223] Writers from ESPN,[224]The Independent,[225]The New York Times,[226] MMA Fighting,[227]CBS Sports,[228]The Sporting News[229] and Bad Left Hook[230] all had Usyk winning, with scores ranging from 115–113 to 117–111.
Fury felt he did enough to win the rematch. His promoter Frank Warren was shocked at the scorecards. He brought the scorecard sheet into the ring. 7 out of the 12 rounds were all score unanimously for Usyk on all three judges cards. Prior to speaking to the reporters, Warren showed Fury the scorecards, which led Fury and his team to exit the ring and make their way to the dressing room. Warren said, "I showed it to him, I’m dumbfounded. They gave him four rounds out of 12, which is impossible. I’ve been around a long time, and I know I’m biased, but one judge didn’t give him any rounds from six onwards. Not one round. How can that be? Same with another judge, he gave him one round out of the last six, and the same here with this guy. It’s crazy."[231] Usyk spoke with respect towards Fury in the post-fight ring interviews, "I very respect this guy because I think he's very tough .. Tyson Fury makes me strong. Tyson is a great opponent. Big man. He's a good man. Tyson, a lot of talk, but it's just show." Usyk felt the rematch was easier than the first. Despite being absent in the ring following the fight, Fury attended the post-fight press conference. He said, "More serious … I thought I won the fight again … I was on the front foot the entire time." When you don't get the knockout, this is what can happen." Heading into the final round, Fury was confident he was ahead.[232]
Usyk is an Orthodox Christian. After his fight against Anthony Joshua, he said in an interview, "The only thing I wanted to do with this fight is to give praise to my Lord Jesus Christ and to say that all comes from him".[236]
In April 2014, after the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, Usyk declared he would never exchange his Ukrainian citizenship for Russian citizenship.[237] In 2016, he said that he often visits family in Crimea; that he does not like to talk politics due to the fact that people take words out of context; that in Russia he has many fans; and that he does not wish to divide people, "because we are Slavs".[238] Afterwards, whenever pressed on the question, Usyk often replied "Crimea belongs to God".[239] In May 2020, Usyk was listed on the Myrotvorets website for "repeating the Kremlin's statements [that Russia and Ukraine are] one nation, rejecting Russian aggression and denying the independence of Ukrainian Orthodoxy from Russian control (the aggressor country) of the Russian Orthodox Church, they have sided with the traitors of Ukraine".[240] However, in September 2022 Usyk said that Crimea "was, is and will be" Ukrainian, and that it had been taken away forcefully from Ukraine.[241][242]
In late March, Usyk was given permission to leave Ukraine to train for his rematch with Anthony Joshua.[248] He said that he did not want to leave, but that he visited wounded Ukrainian soldiers who told him he could help his country more by representing it internationally.[247] In November, after Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated Kherson, Usyk posted a message online saying: "Donetsk is Ukraine. Luhansk is Ukraine. Zaporizhzhia is Ukraine. Crimea is Ukraine. Kherson is Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine. Glory to ZSU".[249]
In December 2020, it was announced that he would become a partner of WePlay Esports for the upcoming WePlay Ultimate Fighting League.[needs update] Esports host James Banks said "He is helping us to bridge that gap between esports and actual, real fighting in terms of boxing and what we can deliver".[250]
In 2022, he became a co-founder and brand ambassador of Ready to Fight,[251] an international blockchain platform whose mission is to make building a boxing career easier and more accessible by creating links between athletes, managers, agents, doctors and other specialized professionals, as well as sports services, infrastructure and fans.[252]
In 2023, Usyk signed a one-year professional contract with Ukrainian Premier League team FC Polissya Zhytomyr. He was given the number 17.[253] He previously made a substitute appearance for the club in February 2022.[254] Usyk said he intends to play football after he retires from boxing.[255]
1904–1908: +158 lb (71.7 kg) · 1920–1936: +175 lb (79.4 kg) · 1948: +80 kg · 1952–1980: +81 kg · 1984–2012: 81–91 kg · 2016–2020: 82–91 kg · 2024–: 81–92 kg
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