Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford said “Usyk’s footwork makes him difficult to hit!”
Lennox Lewis said “Usyk’s intelligence is superior. I compare him to Evander Holyfield”.
Teddy Atlas said “It was not his skills but his aura!”
In looking back at the amateur career of Usyk’s in 2008 at the Olympics in China he lost to Clemente Russo of Italy 7-4. In 2011 at the world championships in Baku, Azerbaijan he defeated in the quarterfinals Artur Beterbiev 17-13 to go on winning in the finals.
In 2012 Usyk won the Gold Medal at the London Olympics again defeating Beterbiev and in the finals reversed his loss to Clemente Russo. His overall amateur record was 335-15.
In the professional ranks Usyk in his tenth fight won his first world title defeating Poland’s Krzysztof Glowacki, 26-0, for the WBO World Cruiser title in Poland.
In his fourth defense he won a unified title defeating WBC champion Mairis Briedis, 23-0, of Latvia in Riga. In his next fight he added the IBF title defeating Russia’s Murat Gassiev, 26-0, in Russia in 2018. He defended all three titles next defeating UK’s Tony ‘Bomber’ Bellew, 30-2-1, by stoppage in 8 improving his record to 16-0 in November of 2018.
In Usyk’s lone USA fight next, he defeated Chazz Witherspoon, 38-3, in seven rounds in Chicago. The won his first minor heavyweight title defeating Derek Chisora, 32-9, for the WBO Inter-Continental title in the UK.
In his next fight Usyk won the IBF, IBO and WBO World heavyweight titles defeating Anthony Joshua, 24-1, in the UK, in September of 2021 and again in the rematch.
Next, in Poland he defeated Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Dubois, 19-1, by knockout in nine rounds. Next in May of 2024 he added the WBC title defeating Tyson Fury, 34-0-1, in Riyadh. Again, in the rematch he defeated Fury. Next, in his most recent fight again defeated Dubois, 22-2, by knockout in five rounds in the UK, improving his record to 24-0 with 15 stoppages.
At age 38 this unbeaten southpaw from the Ukraine seems to have finally gained recognition as one of the top pound for pound boxers in the world.
Who is next? WBO Interim champ Joseph Parker, 36-3, WBC Interim champ Agit Kabayel, 26-0, British and Commonwealth champ Fabio Wardley, 19-0-1, or WBC Silver champ Lawrence ‘the Sauce’ Okolie, 21-1?
Last Updated on 07/25/2025
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