Oleksandr Usyk

Early life and education

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), while his father was a native of Sumy. His mother worked in construction and moved to Simferopol to study. His father was a Soviet 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. In his youth, Usyk practiced folk dancing, especially styles like Hopak, and played association football until age 15, training at the SC Tavriya Simferopol specialized sports school of Olympic reserve (club's football academy). In 2002 Usyk switched to boxing. He is a graduate of Lviv State University of Physical Culture. In his second year of school, Usyk battled life-threatening pneumonia, enduring nearly a year of illness and spending two months in the hospital before recovering.

Amateur career

At the 2006 European Championships he won his first three matches but lost in the semi-final to Matvey Korobov.

He then moved up to light-heavyweight 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 replacing European Champion Denys Poyatsyka. There he defeated world class Azeri Elchin Alizade and Daniel Price.

At the 2008 Olympic Games, Usyk outpointed Yushan Nijiati by 23–4, but lost to Clemente Russo by 4–7 in the quarter-final.

He dropped down to light-heavyweight and won gold at the 2008 European Championships, but later moved back up to heavyweight. At the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships he defeated Artur Beterbiev and Teymur Mammadov to win the heavyweight title and qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Usyk won the gold medal, outpointing Artur Beterbiev, Tervel Pulev and Italy's Clemente Russo, 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 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

2008 Strandzha Cup: Light Heavyweight Gold Medalist

2008 1st Olympic Qualifying Tournament: Heavyweight Silver Medalist

2008 European Championships: Light Heavyweight Gold Medalist

2008 World Cup: Heavyweight Silver Medalist

2009 World Championships: Heavyweight Bronze Medalist

2011 World Championships: Heavyweight Gold Medalist

2012 Olympics: Heavyweight Gold Medalist

Professional career

Early career

Usyk turned professional in late 2013 at the age of 26 and signed a promotional deal with the Klitschko brothers' K2 Promotions, fighting in the cruiserweight division.

On 9 November 2013 Usyk made his professional debut by defeating 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 Klitschko-Leapai at the Koenig Pilsener Arena, defeating Ben Nsafoah via third-round knockout. A month later, Usyk returned home and scored a fourth-round knockout-victory over 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 technical knockout (TKO) for the interim 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 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

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. 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 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. 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 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.

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.

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.

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, scheduled for 30 September.

Unified cruiserweight champion

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

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, 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 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!".

Heavyweight

After defeating Bellew, Usyk declared his intention to move up to heavyweight. Carlos Takam (36–5–1, 28 KOs) 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 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". 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.

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. 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.

Unified heavyweight champion

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. 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, 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. There was an announced crowd of 66,267 in attendance. 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." According to CompuBox, Usyk landed 148 of 529 punches thrown (28%) and Joshua landed 123 of 641 thrown (19%). Usyk landed 29 shots in the final round.

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.

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 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."

Undisputed heavyweight champion

Usyk faced WBC champion Tyson Fury 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 people of Ukraine. 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." 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

On 1 December, it was revealed that Usyk was considering a fight against former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (44–4–1, 43 KOs) in 2026. Wilder's manager Shelly Finkel was open to negotiations if an offer was received. On 11 December, Wilder confirmed that negotiations had begun for a potential fight. The fight was loosely discussed in 2022, before Usyk became undisputed champion. According to Egis Klimas, the fight would likely take place during Spring on the West Coast. On choosing to fight Wilder, Klimas explained, “Wilder is one of the best names Oleksandr didn't face yet. He's still in good shape, and he's still a fighter, so he's interesting. And as well, it's the United States.” However, Wilder opted to fight Derek Chisora instead.

Usyk defended his WBC heavyweight title against former kickboxing heavyweight world champion Rico Verhoeven on 23 May 2026 in Giza, Egypt. Because Verhoeven only had one professional boxing match in 2014 he was not ranked by any sanctioning body despite his experience as a long-time Glory Heavyweight Champion. The WBA stated that if Usyk won, then the bout would count as a successful defence of his WBA (Super) belt, however the title would not be on the line for Verhoeven. The IBF stated if Usyk lost then the IBF belt would be declared vacant, should Usyk win then they would order a mandatory defence within 180 days. Verhoeven lost by a controversial TKO in the 11th round where the referee stepped in and waved off the fight despite the bell for the round having already rung. Two judges had it 95–95 while a third had it 96–94 for Verhoeven at the time of the stoppage. Had the fight not been stopped Usyk would probably have won the 11th round 10–8 because he knocked down Verhoeven, and would have been up on two scorecards by 105–103 and tied on the other at 104. After the fight, WBC mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel entered the ring and called for a title bout with Usyk, suggesting that it could be held in a German stadium. Usyk, who had previously said he might have two more fights after Verhoeven, replied that he was ready to face Kabayel.

On 26 June 2026, Usyk announced that he would vacate his WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles. He said that he wanted to make the belts available for other contenders, while also stating that he had not retired from boxing. He said "Friends, I'm leaving the belts but not the sport because I still have my last dance." Usyk has repeatedly stated a desire for his last fight to be against former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (45–4–1, 43 KOs).

Fighting style and training

Usyk fights out of a southpaw stance despite being right-handed. He is known for his "sublime" footwork, his ability to control the pace of a fight, and his high punch output. His mental strength and ring craft have also been praised. Former world champion Shannon Briggs noted that Usyk's standard of conditioning "changed the game" in the heavyweight division Briggs stated, "[in the] twelfth round he’s strong as in the first round. He’s throwing punches like it’s the first round. No one has ever done that in the history of boxing."

While training for a fight, Usyk spars 15 rounds of three-and-a-half minutes with 20 seconds' rest, facing a new opponent each round, eventually accumulating 250 rounds of sparring in camp. To improve stamina and control breathing, he swims laps in the pool for over five hours a session.

Personal life

Usyk is married and has four children. They live in Kyiv, Ukraine. He practices multiple martial arts outside of boxing; including Jiu-Jitsu, Sambo, and Judo. Usyk is an Orthodox Christian.

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 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. 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. 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 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".

In 2020, Usyk became a postgraduate student in the Psychology Department of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs, receiving his master's degree. In March 2025, he successfully defended his dissertation in law and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Law.

Titles in boxing

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) (2x)

WBO heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

The Ring magazine titles

The Ring cruiserweight champion (200 lbs)

The Ring heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

Minor world titles

IBO heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

Regional/International titles

WBO interim Inter-Continental cruiserweight 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 (2x)

Honorary titles

WBA Man of Triumph Gold champion

WBC Diamond cruiserweight champion

WBO Super cruiserweight champion

WBO Super heavyweight champion

WBC cruiserweight champion-in-recess

WBC Undisputed I champion

Riyadh Season Undisputed heavyweight champion

WBC Rumble in the Jungle champion

Commemorative belts

WBC "King of the Nile" commemorative belt

WBC "Rumble in the Jungle 50th Anniversary" commemorative belt

WBC Undisputed Heavyweight commemorative belt

Sporting achievements

Professional

2024–2026 WBC World Heavyweight Champion (over 90.72 kg)

2022 – The Ring World Heavyweight Champion (over 90.72 kg)

2021–2025 WBO World Heavyweight Champion (over 90.72 kg)

2021–2026 WBA (Super) World Heavyweight Champion (over 90.72 kg)

2021–2024, 2025–2026 IBF World Heavyweight Champion (over 90.72 kg)

2021–2026 IBO World Heavyweight Champion (over 90.72 kg)

2018–2019 WBC World Cruiserweight Champion (up to 90.72 kg)

2018–2019 WBA (Super) World Cruiserweight Champion (up to 90.72 kg)

2018–2019 IBF World Cruiserweight Champion (up to 90.72 kg)

2018–2019 The Ring World Champion in the cruiserweight division (up to 90.72 kg)

2016–2019 WBO World Champion in the cruiserweight division (up to 90.72 kg)

Professional regional

2014–2016 — WBO Intercontinental cruiserweight champion (up to 90.72 kg)

2020–2021 —WBO Intercontinental heavyweight champion (over 90.72 kg)

Semi-professional

2013 — The Ukrainian Otamans’ Silver Cup from the 2012–2013 WSB season

2013 — Individual standings for the 2012–2013 WSB season

International amateur

2012 — Gold medallist at the XXX Olympic Games in the heavyweight category (up to 91 kg)

2011 — World heavyweight champion (up to 91 kg)

2009 — Bronze medallist at the World Championships in the heavyweight division (up to 91 kg)

2008 — European light-heavyweight champion (up to 81 kg)

2006 — Bronze medallist at the European Championships in the middleweight division (up to 75 kg)

Regional amateur

2011 — Ukrainian heavyweight champion (up to 91 kg)

2010 — Ukrainian heavyweight champion (up to 91 kg)

2009 — Ukrainian heavyweight champion (up to 91 kg)

2006 — Ukrainian middleweight champion (up to 75 kg)

Loss of the title of undisputed world champion

On 18 November 2025, Oleksandr Usyk lost his status as undisputed world champion after voluntarily vacating the WBO belt. Having relinquished the WBO belt, Usyk retained his WBA Super, WBC and IBF titles. The new full WBO champion was the British boxer Fabio Wardley, who had previously been the interim champion.

Awards

Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) Sugar Ray Robinson Award Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024

BWAA Muhammad Ali–Joe Frazier Award Fight of the Year: 2024

BWAA John McCain-Bill Crawford Courage Award: 2022

The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024

The Ring magazine Event of the Year: 2021, 2024

The Ring magazine Round of the Year: 2024

Muhammad Ali Trophy: 2018

ESPN Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024

ESPN Fight of the Year: 2024

WBC Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024

WBC Knockout of the Year: 2018, 2025

WBC King Award: 2025

WBA Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024

WBA Boxer of the Month: July 2018, September 2021

IBF Fight of the Year: 2024

WBO Fighter of the Year: 2022, 2024

WBO Fight of the Year: 2022, 2024

WBO Intercontinental Fighter of the Year: 2015

Sports Illustrated Fighter of the Year: 2018, 2024

National

Merited Master of Sports of Ukraine

Order of Merit, 1st Class: 2022

Order of Liberty: 2024

National Legend of Ukraine: 2024

Viewership

Filmography