Oleksandr Usyk
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk (, ; born 17 January 1987) is a Ukrainian
professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
. He has held the unified
heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...
championship since 2021, and the ''
Ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...
'' magazine title since 2022. He held the undisputed championship in two
weight classes Weight classes are divisions of competition used to match competitors against others of their own size. Weight classes are used in a variety of sports including Rowing (sport), rowing, Weightlifting#Weightlifting sports, weight lifting, and especi ...
cruiserweight and
heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...
—and is the third male boxer in history (after
Terence Crawford Terence Allan Crawford (born September 28, 1987) is an American professional boxer. He has held multiple quadruple champion#Boxing, world championships in four weight classes, from lightweight to light middleweight, including the undisputed cha ...
and
Naoya Inoue is a Japanese professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes, and is one of only three male boxers in history (along with Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk) to become the undisputed champion in two weigh ...
) to become a two-weight undisputed champion in the "four-belt era". As an
amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
, Usyk won heavyweight gold medals at the 2011 World Championships and
2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
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 at the conclusion of the
World Boxing Super Series The World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) is a professional boxing tournament organised by Comosa AG. Each weight class features eight boxers competing in an annual knockout competition with the champion from each weight class taking the Muhammad Al ...
tournament, Usyk became the first Ukrainian undisputed champion in history. In 2021, Usyk defeated unified heavyweight champion
Anthony Joshua Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua (born 15 October 1989) is a British professional boxer. He held the unified champion, unified world heavyweight championship twice between 2016 and 2021. At regional level, he held the British Boxing Board of C ...
to win the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles. In May 2024, Usyk defeated
Tyson Fury Tyson Luke Fury (born 12 August 1988) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2008 to 2024. He held multiple world heavyweight championships, including unified titles from 2015 to 2016, the '' Ring'' magazine title twice bet ...
to claim the WBC title and the undisputed championship in his second weight class. Usyk was the first undisputed heavyweight champion since
Lennox Lewis Lennox Claudius Lewis (born 2 September 1965) is a British-Canadian boxing commentator and former professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division from 1989 to 2003. He was a three-time world champion, a two-time lineal champion, ...
was stripped of the title on 12 April 2000, and is the first and only cruiserweight and heavyweight boxer in history to hold the world titles of all four major sanctioning bodies—the
World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is an international professional boxing organization based in Panama. The WBA awards its world championship title at the professional level. Founded ...
(WBA) ( Super title),
World Boxing Council The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...
(WBC),
International Boxing Federation The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts. The others are the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing C ...
(IBF), and
World Boxing Organization The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...
(WBO)—in the four-belt era. He previously held the undisputed cruiserweight championship from 2018 to 2019, and is the first boxer to become the undisputed champion in these two weight classes since
Evander Holyfield Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed championship (boxing), undisputed champion in the cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight division ...
in 1990. ''
The Ring The Ring may refer to: Arts and entertainment *The Ring (franchise), ''The Ring'' (franchise), a Japanese horror media franchise Literature * ''The Ring'', a 1967 novel by Richard Chopping * ''The Ring'', a 1988 book by Daniel Keys Moran * ''The R ...
'' and the
Boxing Writers Association of America Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing punches at each other for a ...
named Usyk their Fighter of the Year in 2018 and 2024. In February 2025,
Sportico Penske Media Corporation (PMC ) is an American mass media, publishing, and information services company based in Los Angeles and New York City. It publishes more than 20 digital and print brands, including ''Variety (magazine), Variety'', ''Rol ...
ranked Usyk at No. 7 among the highest-paid athletes of 2024, with estimated income $122 million. In May 2025,
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
put him at No. 11 in its ranking of the highest-paid athletes in the world, with his earnings being estimated at $101 million.


Early life

Usyk was born in
Simferopol Simferopol ( ), also known as Aqmescit, is the second-largest city on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, but controlled by Russia. It is considered the cap ...
,
Crimean Oblast * oblast An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often tr ...
,
Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...
,
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
on 17 January 1987, to parents originally from northern Ukraine. His mother was born in the
Chernihiv region Chernihiv Oblast (), also referred to as Chernihivshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Chernihiv. There are 1,511 settlements in the oblast, with a total population of ...
(in the village of Rybotyn,
Korop Raion Korop Raion () was a raion (district) of Chernihiv Oblast, northern Ukraine. Its administrative centre was located at the urban-type settlement of Korop. The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, w ...
), while his father was a native of
Sumy Sumy (, , ) is a city in northeastern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Sumy Oblast. The city is situated on the banks of the Psel (river), Psel River and has a population of making it the 23rd-largest in the country. The city ...
. His mother worked in construction and moved to Simferopol to study. 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. Until age 15, he played
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
and was trained at the
SC Tavriya Simferopol Sports Club Tavriya () was a Ukrainian football club from Simferopol. Tavriya was a member of the Ukrainian Premier League from its founding and won the first Ukrainian Premier League 1992, Ukrainian Premier League making them one of three team ...
specialized sports school of Olympic reserve (club's football academy).Александр Усик про предстоящий бой, поражение Ломаченко, провокации и политику. Ходят слухи #106
, 4 February 2021.
In 2002 Usyk switched to boxing. He is a graduate of
Lviv State University of Physical Culture Lviv State University of Physical Culture () is a university specializing in sports education located in Lviv, Ukraine. History Lviv State University of Physical Culture was established as a Soviet educational institution specializing in sports e ...
.


Amateur career

At the 2006 European Championships he won his first three matches but lost in the semi-final to
Matvey Korobov Matvey Georgiyevich Korobov (; born 7 January 1983) is a Russian-American professional boxer. He challenged once for the WBO middleweight title in 2014, as well as the WBC interim middleweight title in 2018 and the WBA interim middleweight ti ...
. He then moved up to
light-heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...
later and won the Strandja Cup in 2008. In February 2008, he moved up another weight class and was sent to the Olympic qualifier in
Roseto degli Abruzzi Roseto degli Abruzzi (), more commonly Roseto, is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Teramo in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is a beach resort on the Adriatic Sea and has about 24,000 inhabitants. Geographically, Roseto is positio ...
replacing European Champion
Denys Poyatsyka Denys Poyatsyka (; born April 29, 1985, in Krementschuk, Poltava Oblast) is a Ukrainian amateur boxer, best known for winning the European title at 201 lbs in 2006. Career Poyatsyka started to box in 1995. In 2004, he moved up to light heavy fr ...
. There he defeated world class Azeri
Elchin Alizade Elchin Alizade () (born 2 January 1986) is an Azerbaijani amateur boxer best known for winning silver at the 2005 World championships at heavyweight 201 lbs limit. Career In 2001 he won silver against Ismail Sillakh at 67 kg, in 2002 ...
and Daniel Price. At the
2008 Olympic Games The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fr ...
, Usyk outpointed
Yushan Nijiati Yushan Nijiati () born June 1, 1986) is a Chinese amateur boxer of Kazakh ethnicity best known for winning the bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships in the 201 lb/91 kg division. Career He lost to eventual winner Clemente Russ ...
by 23–4, but lost to
Clemente Russo Clemente Russo (born 27 July 1982) is a retired Italian amateur boxer, best known for winning gold at the 2007 and 2013 World Amateur Boxing Championships at heavyweight (201 lbs limit). He boxed for the Italia Thunder team in the World Se ...
by 4–7 in the quarter-final. He dropped down to
light-heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...
and won gold at the 2008 European Championships, but later moved back up to heavyweight. At the
2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships The 2011 AIBA World Boxing Championships was held at the Heydar Aliyev Sports and Exhibition Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan from September 22 to October 10, 2011. The competition ran under the supervision of the world's governing body for amateur ...
he defeated
Artur Beterbiev Artur Asilbekovich Beterbiev (; ; born 21 January 1985) is a Russian and Canadian professional boxer. He held the undisputed light-heavyweight championship between 2024 and February 2025. He also held the International Boxing Organization (IB ...
and
Teymur Mammadov Teymur Mammadov (born 11 January 1993) is a heavyweight amateur boxer from Azerbaijan. He won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics and reached quarterfinals at the 2016 Games, where he served as the flag bearer for Azerbaijan during the Parade o ...
to win the heavyweight title and qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics. At the
2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, Usyk won the gold medal, outpointing
Artur Beterbiev Artur Asilbekovich Beterbiev (; ; born 21 January 1985) is a Russian and Canadian professional boxer. He held the undisputed light-heavyweight championship between 2024 and February 2025. He also held the International Boxing Organization (IB ...
,
Tervel Pulev Tervel Venkov Pulev () is a Bulgarian professional boxer. He has held the WBA International cruiserweight title since December 2019 and previously the European Union cruiserweight title in 2018. Early life Pulev was born on 10 January 1983 ...
and Italy's
Clemente Russo Clemente Russo (born 27 July 1982) is a retired Italian amateur boxer, best known for winning gold at the 2007 and 2013 World Amateur Boxing Championships at heavyweight (201 lbs limit). He boxed for the Italia Thunder team in the World Se ...
, outscoring him by 6–3 in the final. Usyk retired from amateur boxing with a record of 335−15. 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 Uaine Fa Junior (born 19 October 1989) is a New Zealand former professional boxer. As an amateur he represented Tonga at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, winning a bronze medal in the super-heavyweight division; he also represented Tonga at the Oce ...
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).


Highlights

* 2006 European Championships: Middleweight Bronze Medalist *Strandzha Cup, 2008 Strandzha Cup: Light Heavyweight Gold Medalist *1st AIBA European 2008 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, 2008 1st Olympic Qualifying Tournament: Heavyweight Silver Medalist * 2008 European Championships: Light Heavyweight Gold Medalist *2008 Boxing World Cup, 2008 World Cup: Heavyweight Silver Medalist *2009 AIBA World Boxing Championships, 2009 World Championships: Heavyweight Bronze Medalist *2011 AIBA World Boxing Championships, 2011 World Championships: Heavyweight Gold Medalist *2012 Summer Olympics, 2012 Olympics: Heavyweight Gold Medalist


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 (boxing), cruiserweight division. On 9 November 2013 Usyk made his professional debut by defeating Mexicans, Mexican fighter Felipe Romero via a fifth-round knockout. The following month he stopped 38 year old Epifanio Mendoza in four rounds. In his third professional fight on 26 April 2014, Usyk made his debut in Germany on the undercard of Wladimir Klitschko, Klitschko-Alex Leapai, Leapai at the König Pilsener Arena, Koenig Pilsener Arena, defeating Ben Nsafoah via third-round knockout. A month later, Usyk returned home and scored a fourth-round knockout-victory over Argentines, Argentine Cesar David Crenz.


Rise up the ranks

Usyk won his first title on 4 October 2014, after beating South African boxer Daniel Bruwer via seventh-round Knockout#Technical knockout, technical knockout (TKO) for the Interim championship, interim World Boxing Organization, WBO Inter-Continental cruiserweight title. Usyk defended the title two months later, stopping 35 year old Danie Venter in the ninth-round. 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. 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. Usyk made a fourth and final defense against unknown Cubans, 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.


WBO cruiserweight champion


Usyk vs. Głowacki

In June 2016, it was announced that Usyk would challenge undefeated Polish people, Polish boxer Krzysztof Głowacki (26–0, 16 KOs) for his List of WBO world champions#Junior heavyweight, WBO cruiserweight title on 17 September, at the Ergo Arena, Gdańsk, Gdansk, Poland. 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. Głowacki weighed 199.3 pounds, with Usyk coming in slightly lighter at 198.75 pounds. The fight was shown live on Sky Sports in the UK. 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.


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 The Forum (Inglewood, California), Forum in Inglewood, California, Inglewood, California. 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. 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. CompuBox statistics showed that Usyk landed 163 of 517 punches thrown (32%), and Mchunu landed 76 of his 278 (27%). Prior to the fight, Usyk spoke of his desire to fight other cruiserweight titlists as well as fighting
Anthony Joshua Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua (born 15 October 1989) is a British professional boxer. He held the unified champion, unified world heavyweight championship twice between 2016 and 2021. At regional level, he held the British Boxing Board of C ...
at heavyweight. The fight averaged 560,000 viewers on HBO: this was considered good numbers, considering it was Usyk's HBO debut and on the undercard.


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 Gennady Golovkin, Golovkin-Daniel Jacobs (boxer), Jacobs HBO Pay-per-view, PPV in March at Madison Square Garden; however, since Román González (boxer), Román González and Carlos Cuadras were scheduled to appear in separate fights and not fight each other, Usyk was pulled from the card. 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. Bob Arum announced that Usyk would be part of a triple header including Vasiliy Lomachenko at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, Oxon Hill, Maryland, on 8 April 2017 against Michael Hunter (American boxer), Michael Hunter (12–0, 8 KOs). Usyk weighed 199.4 whilst Hunter came in at 199 pounds. 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." 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. The fight drew an average of 679,000 viewers on HBO and peaked at 774,000 viewers.


World Boxing Super Series

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.


Usyk vs. Huck

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'. 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. 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." As he was leaving the building, Usyk claimed he would 'bury' Huck. 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 (boxer), Mike Perez, scheduled for 30 September.


Unified cruiserweight champion


Usyk vs. Briedis

Usyk would next fight Mairis Briedis (23–0, 18 KOs) following the latter's win over Perez via unanimous decision. 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. Arēna Rīga was confirmed as the location by Comosa's Chief Boxing Officer Kalle Sauerland. Usyk came in at 199.5 pounds and Briedis weighed 199.1 pounds. 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. 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. Many boxers and pundits praised the fight.


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. 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. On 18 June, at a press conference, Kremlev announced the final would take place on 21 July at the Olympic Stadium (Moscow), Olympic Stadium, Moscow, Russia. On 29 June, the final was officially confirmed. On the release date, 7,000 tickets were sold. Both boxers came in at 198.45 pounds at the weigh-in. 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. 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. 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 championship (boxing), undisputed cruiserweight champion. 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!".


Usyk vs. Bellew

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 List of undisputed boxing champions#Cruiserweight, 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. By the end of July, it was said the fight would likely take place in November 2018 in London. 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. A week later, K2 Promotions confirmed the date of the fight. On 5 September, the World Boxing Association, 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. 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. 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. 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. Experienced British referee Terry O'Connor was named as the official. Bellew weighed pounds, just over 2 years since he last made the cruiserweight limit and Usyk weighed pounds. 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. 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. There was a small concern during Bellew's post-fight interview as many felt he was clearly concussed. 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.


Heavyweight

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. On 22 August, following the Gennady Golovkin, Golovkin vs. Serhiy Derevianchenko, 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". Usyk also had the option to challenge the winner of the rematch between Andy Ruiz, Andy Ruiz Jr. and
Anthony Joshua Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua (born 15 October 1989) is a British professional boxer. He held the unified champion, unified world heavyweight championship twice between 2016 and 2021. At regional level, he held the British Boxing Board of C ...
for the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and International Boxing Organization, 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.


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, 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 Ítalo Perea, Ytalo Perea. Usyk wanted to challenge himself on his first heavyweight fight. He acknowledged Spong for being fast and powerful. 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. 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. 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. Spong's replacement was then announced as 38 year old Chazz Witherspoon (38–3, 29 KOs), mostly known for being former WBA and WBC heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon's cousin. 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. For his heavyweight debut, Usyk weighed in at 215 pounds and Witherspoon stepped on the scales at 242 pounds. 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. 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. 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. 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. According to CompuBox, 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. Following his heavyweight debut, Usyk said he was ready for a world title fight, mentioning the likes of
Anthony Joshua Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua (born 15 October 1989) is a British professional boxer. He held the unified champion, unified world heavyweight championship twice between 2016 and 2021. At regional level, he held the British Boxing Board of C ...
and Andy Ruiz Jr., Andy Ruiz who were due to fight in Andy Ruiz Jr. vs Anthony Joshua II, December in a rematch. Usyk was WBO's mandatory challenger, so could challenge the winner.


Usyk vs. Chisora

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 Box Office, 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". If successful, Usyk would be first in line to fight for the World Boxing Organization, WBO heavyweight title held by
Anthony Joshua Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua (born 15 October 1989) is a British professional boxer. He held the unified champion, unified world heavyweight championship twice between 2016 and 2021. At regional level, he held the British Boxing Board of C ...
. As part of his preparation for his bouts, Usyk sparred occasionally with former unified heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. 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 Dillian Whyte vs. Derek Chisora II, 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. For further preparation, Chisora had sparred Bryant Jennings, 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. Usyk would be next in line to fight Joshua, who was Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev, 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 Tyson Luke Fury (born 12 August 1988) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2008 to 2024. He held multiple world heavyweight championships, including unified titles from 2015 to 2016, the '' Ring'' magazine title twice bet ...
and Deontay Wilder. On 17 March, there was already talks about Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports, 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. 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. 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. 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. A date in October 2020 was being discussed. Usyk and Chisora had continued to train for the upcoming fight. The fight was pushed back to 31 October 2020 because of the pandemic and the venue was moved to The SSE Arena, Wembley, The SSE Arena in London. According to CBS Sports, Chisora was a +475 betting underdog. Usyk was reported to earn a £1.8 million purse. For his second heavyweight fight, Usyk weighed 217 ¼ pounds and Chisora weighed 255 ½ pounds, a 38 pound weight advantage. 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. 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. CompuBox, 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.


Unified heavyweight champion


Usyk vs. Joshua

Unified heavyweight champion
Anthony Joshua Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua (born 15 October 1989) is a British professional boxer. He held the unified champion, unified world heavyweight championship twice between 2016 and 2021. At regional level, he held the British Boxing Board of C ...
, for whom Usyk was the WBO mandatory challenger, had been in negotiations to fight undefeated World Boxing Council, WBC and ''The Ring (magazine), The Ring'' champion
Tyson Fury Tyson Luke Fury (born 12 August 1988) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2008 to 2024. He held multiple world heavyweight championships, including unified titles from 2015 to 2016, the '' Ring'' magazine title twice bet ...
. However, when it appeared that Fury would instead be forced to face former WBC champion Deontay Wilder in a Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III, trilogy bout due to an arbitration ruling, 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. Usyk reacted to these developments with a video message directed to Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn, telling him, "Eddie, I want money, more money." 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. 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." 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.


Usyk vs. Joshua II

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.'" 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 National Sports Complex, 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." 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 President Vladimir Putin to stop the invasion, with one video captioned "NO WAR". 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 battalions (Ukraine), 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." In late March, it was reported that Usyk would be leaving Ukraine to begin preparations for the rematch with Joshua. 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 Klitschko brothers, younger brother Wladimir Klitschko, also a former heavyweight champion who had been Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko, defeated by Anthony Joshua in 2017. 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. Despite Joshua's much improved performance compared to his first loss to Usyk, 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. ''The Ring (magazine), The Ring'' magazine called Glenn Feldman's scorecard "horrible". Among those criticizing his judging were promoter Lou DiBella and boxing trainer Teddy Atlas. According to ''New York Times'' statistics, Joshua landed 37 body punches compared to 15 in their first fight. Overall, however, Usyk outperformed Joshua, landing 170 of 712 punches, compared with 124 of 492 for Joshua. 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).


Usyk vs. Dubois

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. 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. The fight took place on 26 August at the Wrocław Stadium, Stadion Wroclaw in Wrocław, Poland for Usyk's WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, International Boxing Organization, IBO and ''The Ring (magazine), The Ring'' titles. The date aligned with Independence Day of Ukraine, Ukraine's Independence Day. An attendance of around 24,000 was expected. 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. 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. 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 (boxer), Liam Smith.


Undisputed heavyweight champion


Usyk vs. Fury

Usyk faced WBC champion
Tyson Fury Tyson Luke Fury (born 12 August 1988) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2008 to 2024. He held multiple world heavyweight championships, including unified titles from 2015 to 2016, the '' Ring'' magazine title twice bet ...
for the undisputed heavyweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight contract signing was announced on 29 September 2023, whilst on 16 November 2023 the fight was officially scheduled for 17 February 2024. 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. On 2 February, it was announced the fight would not be taking place on the 17th as Fury had sustained a cut in training. The fight was rescheduled to 18 May in Saudi Arabia. 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. 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. 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. Usyk broke down in tears in the ring after his victory was announced and dedicated it to his family, his team, and the Ukrainians, people of Ukraine. After the fight, Fury commented: "I believe he won a few of the rounds but I won the majority of them … Russian invasion of Ukraine, His country's at war, so people are siding with Ukraine, the country at war, but make no mistake, I won that fight … I'll be back. I've got a rematch clause." Fury raised the possibility of a rematch "in October", and eventually declared: "Happy New Year!" Usyk responded to Fury, stating, "If he wants, I'm ready for a rematch." Usyk supposedly suffered a broken jaw from the bout and went to the hospital after his press conference. Although, Usyk did not break his jaw. Fury was given a one week medical suspension following the fight. CompuBox suggested Usyk had landed 170 of 407 punches (41.8%) compared to Fury's 157 of 496 (31.7%).


Unified heavyweight champion


Usyk vs. Fury II

Usyk and Tyson Fury, Fury were expected to meet in a rematch in October 2024 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. On 29 May 2024 it was announced that the rematch was scheduled for 21 December 2024. The total purse for the rematch was reportedly worth $190–191 million (£150 million). 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." On 25 June, Usyk announced that he was vacating the List of IBF world champions#Heavyweight, IBF heavyweight title. This was to allow the Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois, Anthony Joshua versus Daniel Dubois fight in September to have the vacant title on the line. 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. 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). Writers from ESPN, ''The Independent'', ''The New York Times'', MMA Fighting, CBS Sports, ''The Sporting News'' and Bad Left Hook 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 (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." 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.


Usyk vs. Dubois II

On 12 March 2025, Sky Sports reported that Usyk was in talks to fight Daniel Dubois in a rematch, for the undisputed heavyweight title. Alexander Krassyuk mentioned Wembley Stadium as an option for the venue. On 13 March, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri ordered for Usyk to make a mandatory defence against interim WBO champion Joseph Parker. Both parties were given 30 days to negotiate a deal before purse bids are called. On 4 April, Dubois told Ring Magazine the priority was to fight Usyk in July. He did not rule out fighting Parker or Derek Chisora. The IBF stated they would grant an exception for Dubois vs. Usyk, however if the fight did not materialise, then Chisora would be called as mandatory. On 10 April, the WBO received a petition to allow Dubois vs. Usyk to place for the undisputed title. On 27 April, the rematch between Usyk and Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) was announced for the undisputed heavyweight title at Wembley Stadium in London on 19 July 2025. WBO president Gustavo Olivier explained his organisations decision to allow the unification fight as it allowed the heavyweight division to once again crown an undisputed champion. Parker would be next called as mandatory however, once the fight is over. The morning after the fight was announced, the two had their first face-off on the field of Wembley Stadium. Words were exchanged, leading to Dubois shoving Usyk, before security intervened. Usyk called it a sign of weakness on Dubois' part.


Personal life

Usyk is married and has four children. They live in Kyiv, Ukraine. His wife also has Russian citizenship. Usyk practices multiple martial arts outside of boxing; including Jiu-Jitsu, Sambo (martial art), Sambo, and Judo. Usyk is an Eastern Orthodox Church, 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". In April 2014, after the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, Usyk declared he would never exchange his Ukrainian citizenship for Russian citizenship. 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". Afterwards, whenever pressed on the question, Usyk often replied "Crimea belongs to God". 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". However, in September 2022 Usyk said that Crimea "was, is and will be" Ukrainian, and that it had been taken away forcefully from Ukraine. When Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Usyk called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the invasion. A few days later, Usyk—along with fellow boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko and MMA champion Yaroslav Amosov—travelled back to Ukraine to join the country's Territorial Defense Forces (Ukraine), territorial defense forces. Usyk took part in armed patrols in Kyiv. Usyk said that Russian soldiers broke into his empty house in Vorzel and ransacked it. In late March, Usyk was given permission to leave Ukraine to train for his rematch with
Anthony Joshua Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua (born 15 October 1989) is a British professional boxer. He held the unified champion, unified world heavyweight championship twice between 2016 and 2021. At regional level, he held the British Boxing Board of C ...
. 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. In November, after Ukrainian Armed Forces Liberation of Kherson, 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 Armed Forces of Ukraine, ZSU". In December 2020, it was announced that he would become a partner of WePlay Esports for the upcoming WePlay Ultimate Fighting League. 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". In 2022, he became a co-founder and brand ambassador of Ready to Fight, 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. In 2023, Usyk signed a one-year professional contract with Ukrainian Premier League team FC Polissya Zhytomyr. He was given the number 17. He previously made a substitute appearance for the club in February 2022. Usyk said he intends to play Association football, football after he retires from boxing.


Professional boxing record


World Series of Boxing record


Titles in boxing


Major world titles

*List of WBA world champions#Cruiserweight, WBA (Super) cruiserweight champion (200 lbs) *List of WBC world champions#Cruiserweight, WBC cruiserweight champion (200 lbs) *List of IBF world champions#Cruiserweight, IBF cruiserweight champion (200 lbs) *List of WBO world champions#Cruiserweight, WBO cruiserweight champion (200 lbs) *List of WBA world champions#Heavyweight, WBA (Super) heavyweight champion (200+ lbs) *List of WBC world champions#Heavyweight, WBC heavyweight champion (200+ lbs) *List of IBF world champions#Heavyweight, IBF heavyweight champion (200+ lbs) *List of WBO world champions#Heavyweight, WBO heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)


''The Ring'' magazine titles

*List of The Ring world champions#Cruiserweight, ''The Ring'' cruiserweight champion (200 lbs) *List of The Ring world champions#Heavyweight, ''The Ring'' heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)


Minor world titles

*List of IBO world champions#Heavyweight, IBO heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)


Regional/International titles

*World Boxing Organization, WBO Interim championship, interim Inter-Continental Cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight champion (200 lbs) *WBO Inter-Continental cruiserweight champion (200 lbs) *WBO Inter-Continental
heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...
champion (200+ lbs)


Undisputed titles

*list of undisputed world boxing champions#Cruiserweight, Undisputed cruiserweight champion *list of undisputed world boxing champions#Heavyweight, Undisputed heavyweight champion


Honorary titles

*World Boxing Association#Man of Triumph belts, WBA ''Man of Triumph'' Gold champion *WBC Diamond, WBC Diamond cruiserweight champion *WBO Super, WBO Super Champion *World Boxing Council, WBC cruiserweight champion-in-recess *World Boxing Council#Commemorative World Championship Belts, WBC Undisputed I champion *WBC Rumble in the Jungle champion


Awards

* Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) Sugar Ray Robinson Award Fighter of the Year: 2018 * Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) John McCain-William J. Crawford, Bill Crawford Courage Award: 2022 *The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year, ''The Ring'' magazine Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024 *The Ring magazine Event of the Year, ''The Ring'' magazine Event of the Year: 2024 *The Ring magazine Round of the Year, ''The Ring'' magazine Round of the Year: 2024 *World Boxing Super Series, Muhammad Ali Trophy: 2018 * ESPN Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024 * ESPN Fight of the Year: 2024 *World Boxing Council, WBC Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024 *World Boxing Council, WBC Knockout of the Year: 2018 *World Boxing Association, WBA Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024 *World Boxing Association, WBA Boxer of the Month: July 2018, September 2021 *World Boxing Organization, WBO Fighter of the Year: 2022, 2024 *World Boxing Organization, WBO Fight of the Year: 2022, 2024 *World Boxing Organization, WBO Intercontinental Fighter of the Year: 2015 * Sports Illustrated's Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024 * Sports Illustrated’s Fight of the Year: 2024 *CBS Sports Boxer of the Year: 2018 *CBS Sports Fighter of the Year: 2024 *CBS Sports Fight of the Year: 2024 *Yahoo Sports, Yahoo! Sports Fighter of the Year: 2018 *Yahoo Sports, Uncrowned’s Male Fighter of the Year: 2024 * The Sporting News, Sporting News’ Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024 * Los Angeles Daily News Fighter of the Year: 2018 *WBN Fighter of the Year: 2022, 2024 *WBN Fight of the Year: 2024 *WBN World Title Prospect of the Year: 2016 *The Ring 8 and New York State Boxing Hall of Fame, RING 8 Historical Award: 2018 * FanSided Fighter of the Year: 2018 * Boxing Insider's Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024 * Boxing News’ Fighter of the Year: 2024 * The Sweet Science (TSS) Fighter of the Year: 2024 * BoxingScene's Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024 * The Queensberry Rules Fighter of the Year: 2018


Viewership


Pay-per-view bouts


International


Filmography


Podcasts


See also

*List of WBA world champions *List of WBC world champions *List of IBF world champions *List of WBO world champions *List of IBO world champions *List of The Ring world champions, List of ''The Ring'' world champions *List of world cruiserweight boxing champions *List of world heavyweight boxing champions *List of undisputed world boxing champions *Boxing at the 2012 Summer Olympics *List of Olympic medalists in boxing


Notes


References


Further reading

* * * * * * * * *


External links

*
2006 European Championships ResultsAIBA results for Olympic qualification
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Usyk, Oleksandr 1987 births Living people Sportspeople from Simferopol Lviv State University of Physical Culture alumni Dynamo Sports Club sportspeople Ukrainian male boxers Southpaw boxers Olympic boxers for Ukraine Boxers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Ukraine Olympic medalists in boxing Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics AIBA World Boxing Championships medalists Middleweight boxers Light-heavyweight boxers World cruiserweight boxing champions World heavyweight boxing champions World Boxing Organization champions World Boxing Council champions International Boxing Federation champions World Boxing Association champions International Boxing Organization champions The Ring (magazine) champions Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine personnel Ukrainian military personnel of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Eastern Orthodox Christians from Ukraine Oleksandr Usyk,