Oleksandr Usyk’s boxing career is nothing short of fascinating. He is the first boxer to hold all four major world titles — the WBA (Super), WBO, and IBF titles since 2021, and the World Boxing Council (WBC) title since 2024. Previously, he also held the cruiserweight champion title from 2018 to 2019.
The WBC heavyweight victory made the Ukrainian boxer the first unified heavyweight champion in boxing since Lennox Lewis in 1999 — all thanks to the epic match between Usyk and Tyson Fury that went down earlier this year.
On May 18, 2024, Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury in a closely contested fight. This was one of the biggest wins of his career and one of the most thrilling matches for fans. In their initial bout, which went the distance, Usyk managed to knock Fury down in the ninth round and had him in trouble on multiple occasions. While one judge saw the fight in favor of Fury with a score of 114-113, the other two judges scored it 114-113 and 115-112 in favor of Usyk. The Ukrainian boxer secured a split decision victory over Fury and handed Fury the first loss of his professional boxing career.
With the victory, Usyk extended his professional record to 22-0 and became a unified champion in both the heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions.
Usyk’s Journey from Simferopol to the Ring
Usyk was born on January 17, 1987, in Simferopol, Ukraine. His mother hails from the Chernihiv region, specifically from the village of Rybotyn in Korop Raion, while his father is originally from Sumy, a Ukrainian city that borders Russia. His mother worked in construction and relocated to Simferopol for her education, while his father, who had a military background and had served in Afghanistan, worked as a security guard in Crimea where they crossed paths.
Usyk is the eldest child in his family and has two siblings. He was always the sporty kind and played football until age 15. He trained professionally in football at the SC Tavriya Simferopol specialized sports school of the Olympic Reserve but decided to switch to boxing in 2002. Usyk completed his education at Lviv State University in Physical Culture.
Oleksandr Usyk Boxing Career Highlights
Usyk tasted quick success in his amateur boxing career. He won his first three matches at the 2006 European Championships (although he ended up losing in the semifinals to the Russian American boxer Matvey Korobov.)
He went on to win multiple national championships in Ukraine and gradually made his mark on the international stage.
In 2008, Usyk decided to enter the light-heavyweight category at the Strandja Cup (an international amateur boxing tournament held in Bulgaria every year.) This was among Usyk’s first big victories.
In February 2008, he moved up to a higher weight class and was chosen for the Olympic qualifiers held in Roseto degli Abruzzi in Italy. There, he managed to defeat top-tier opponents, such as Azeri Elchin Alizade and Daniel Price. However, his performance fizzled out as he lost the main quarter-final match against Clemente Russo by 4–7 in Olympics 2008.
Undeterred by the loss, he decided to move down to the light-heavyweight division. He secured a gold medal at the 2008 European Championships, before transitioning back up to the heavyweight category. His next big win was in 2011 at the World Amateur Boxing Championships where he qualified for the 2012 Olympics.
And then came the Olympic Gold! In the London Olympics 2012, Usyk won his first medal. In the initial rounds, he emerged victorious over heavyweights Artur Beterbiev (Canada) and Tervel Pulev (Bulgaria). Usyk defeated Clemente Russo (Italy) in the final match with a score of 14-11, clinching the gold medal.
Transition to Professional Boxing
Usyk stepped away from amateur boxing with an impressive record of 335 wins and 15 losses and transitioned to professional boxing in 2013 at the age of 26.
Oleksandr Usyk’s boxing career’s first professional title bout happened on 4 October 2014, when he defeated South African boxer Daniel Bruwer with a seventh-round technical knockout (TKO) to secure the interim WBO Inter-Continental cruiserweight championship title. He solidified his status as the undisputed champion in his weight class just five fights later.
In 2019, he relinquished his cruiserweight title to transition into the heavyweight division. By that time, he had already triumphed over five current or former world champions in just 16 fights. His 2019 debut in the heavyweight category was a roaring success as he forced Chazz Witherspoon (USA) to retire in his corner after seven rounds.
Conquering Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury to reign as undisputed heavyweight champion
In 2021, Oleksandr Usyk defeated Anthony Joshua (England) to claim the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO titles. With this decisive win, Usyk joined an exclusive club of boxers, including Evander Holyfield and David Haye to win world titles in both cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions.
Their second fight was even more interesting! Anthony Joshua, as the mandatory challenger, called for a rematch. The highly anticipated bout was dubbed “Rage on the Red Sea” and was held in Saudi Arabia in 2022. The closely contested match went on for 12 rounds. Ultimately, Usyk won with a split decision.
And let’s not forget his much-hyped match against Fury. The total purse for the fight was reported to be worth around $150 million. The grand fight, dubbed as “Ring of Fire”, surely lived up to the hype as Fury and Usyk battled it out for nine rounds. The final moments were both tense and exciting as fans waited for the judges to reveal their decision. Oleksandr Usyk emerged victorious with a split decision.
Rematch with Tyson Fury
A rematch is in the works for October 2024. But it may not be for all four belts as Usyk has decided not to face his mandatory challenger for IBF.
The title rematch is set for December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The rematch was originally scheduled for October. However, the date has been rescheduled to December, allowing both fighters additional time to prepare for the highly anticipated bout.
This will be Oleksandr Usyk’s boxing career’s 23rd professional fight. Usyk has a professional boxing record of 22 fights, all of which he has won. Out of these victories, 14 were knockouts (KO).
Fury, who is 35 years old, now holds a record of 34-1-1 following his defeat to Usyk. Prior to this loss, the only mark on the British boxer’s record was a draw against Deontay Wilder in 2018.