Oleksandr Usyk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Oleksandr Usyk |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)
Usyk in 2022
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Cat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rated at |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 198 cm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 17 January 1987 Simferopol, Crimean Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Southpaw | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 23 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 23 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk (Ukrainian: Олександр Олександрович Усик; born on January 17, 1987) is a famous Ukrainian professional boxer. He is known for holding many world championship titles. Since 2021, he has been the unified world heavyweight champion. He also holds Ring magazine's heavyweight title since 2022.
Oleksandr Usyk made history by becoming the undisputed champion in two different weight classes: cruiserweight and heavyweight. This means he held all the major championship belts at the same time in both divisions. He is only the third male boxer ever to achieve this in the "four-belt era" of boxing.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Oleksandr Usyk was born in Simferopol, which was part of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union at the time. His birthday is January 17, 1987. His parents came from different parts of northern Ukraine. His mother was from the Chernihiv region, and his father was from Sumy. They met in Crimea, where his mother worked in construction and his father was a security guard.
Oleksandr is the oldest of three children. When he was younger, until he was 15, he played football. He even trained at a special sports school for Olympic athletes in Simferopol. In 2002, he decided to switch from football to boxing. He later graduated from Lviv State University of Physical Culture.
Boxing Career Highlights
Oleksandr Usyk had a very successful amateur boxing career. He won gold medals as a heavyweight at the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 London Olympics.
He became a professional boxer in 2013. It took him only 15 professional fights to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion in 2018. He won three of his titles during the first-ever World Boxing Super Series. In this series, he also won the special Muhammad Ali Trophy.
For his amazing achievements, many sports organizations named Usyk the "Fighter of the Year" in 2018. These included Sports Illustrated, ESPN, The Ring magazine, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.
In 2018, Usyk became one of only four male boxers to hold the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO titles all at once. He was the first Ukrainian boxer to become an undisputed champion. He achieved these titles very quickly. He won his first world title in his tenth fight and became undisputed champion by his fifteenth fight.
In 2019, Usyk gave up his cruiserweight titles to move up to the heavyweight division. By then, he had already beaten five current or former world champions in his 16 fights. In September 2021, Usyk defeated the unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. This win earned him the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles. He successfully defended these titles in a rematch against Joshua in August 2022. In that fight, he also won the vacant Ring magazine title. In May 2024, he defeated Tyson Fury to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the "four-belt era."
Personal Life and Interests
Oleksandr Usyk is married and has three children. His family lives in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Usyk is a devoted Orthodox Christian. After one of his big fights, he shared that he wanted to give thanks to Jesus Christ, saying that everything comes from Him.
In February 2022, Usyk spoke out about the conflict in Ukraine. He, along with other boxers, joined Ukraine's territorial defense forces. Later, he left Ukraine to train for his rematch with Anthony Joshua.
In 2022, Usyk helped start "Ready to Fight." This is an international online platform that aims to make it easier for boxers to build their careers. It helps connect athletes with managers, doctors, and fans.
In 2023, Usyk signed a one-year professional contract to play football with the Ukrainian Premier League team FC Polissya Zhytomyr. He was given the number 17 jersey. He even played a short time in a friendly match in February 2022. Usyk has said that he plans to play football after he retires from boxing.
Professional Boxing Record Summary
Oleksandr Usyk has an impressive professional boxing record. He has won all 23 of his professional fights. Out of these wins, 14 were by knockout (KO). This means he won by making his opponent unable to continue the fight. The other 9 wins were by decision, where judges scored the fight in his favor.
His notable wins include:
- Defeating Tyson Fury twice in 2024 to retain and win various heavyweight titles.
- Beating Daniel Dubois in 2023 to keep his heavyweight titles.
- Winning against Anthony Joshua twice in 2021 and 2022 to become and remain unified heavyweight champion.
- Becoming the undisputed cruiserweight champion by defeating Murat Gassiev in 2018.
World Series of Boxing Record Summary
Before turning professional, Oleksandr Usyk also competed in the World Series of Boxing. This was a team-based boxing competition for amateurs. He had a perfect record in this series, winning all 6 of his fights. Two of these wins were by technical knockout (TKO), and four were by unanimous decision.
Championship Titles in Boxing
Oleksandr Usyk has held many important titles throughout his boxing career.
Major World Titles
- WBA (Super) cruiserweight champion (200 lbs)
- WBC cruiserweight champion (200 lbs)
- IBF cruiserweight champion (200 lbs)
- WBO cruiserweight champion (200 lbs)
- WBA (Super) heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)
- WBC heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)
- IBF heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)
- WBO heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)
The Ring Magazine Titles
- The Ring cruiserweight champion (200 lbs)
- The Ring heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)
Other Important Titles
- IBO heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)
- WBO Inter-Continental cruiserweight champion (200 lbs)
- WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)
Undisputed Titles
- Undisputed cruiserweight champion
- Undisputed heavyweight champion
Awards and Recognition
Oleksandr Usyk has received many awards for his boxing skills and achievements.
- Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) Sugar Ray Robinson Award Fighter of the Year: 2018
- The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024
- ESPN Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024
- WBC Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024
- WBA Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024
- WBO Fighter of the Year: 2022, 2024
- Sports Illustrated's Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024
- CBS Sports Boxer of the Year: 2018
- Yahoo! Sports Fighter of the Year: 2018
- Sporting News’ Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024
- FanSided Fighter of the Year: 2018
- Boxing Insider's Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024
- BoxingScene's Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024
Film and Media Appearances
Oleksandr Usyk has also appeared in films and video games.
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Fight Rules | Professional Boxer | |
| 2018 | The Stolen Princess | “Sholom” (Troyeschyna gangster) | |
| 2024 | A Tale As Old As Time: Ring of Fire | Himself | Promotional short film |
| 2024 | Reignited - Can’t Get You Out of My Head | Himself | Promotional short film |
| 2025 | The Smashing Machine  |
Igor Vovchanchyn |
Podcasts
| Air Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| January 20, 2025 | The Ring Podcast | Exclusive guest |
Video Games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Undisputed | Himself |
Images for kids
-
Usyk in 2012
-
Usyk's fight with Andrey Knyazev attracted 3.6 million viewers on Ukrainian television
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Oleksandr Usyk para niños
- 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 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
