Oleksandr Usyk

Oleksandr Usyk
Олександр Усик
Usyk in 2025
Born (1987-01-17) 17 January 1987
Simferopol, Crimean Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Other names
  • The Cat
Statistics
Weight(s)
  • Cruiserweight
  • Heavyweight
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[1]
Reach78 in (198 cm)[1]
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights24
Wins24
Wins by KO15
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  Ukraine
Olympic Games
2012 London Heavyweight
World Championships
2011 Baku Heavyweight
2009 Milan Heavyweight
European Olympic Qualifying
2008 Roseto degli Abruzzi–Pescara Heavyweight
European Championships
2008 Liverpool Light-heavyweight
2006 Plovdiv Middleweight
World Cup
2008 Moscow Heavyweight
2006 Baku Light-heavyweight
Strandzha Cup
2008 Plovdiv Light-heavyweight
European Cup
2010 Kharkiv Heavyweight
Websiteusyk.space
Signature

Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk (Ukrainian: Олександр Олександрович Усик, pronounced [olekˈsɑndr ˈusɪk]; born 17 January 1987) is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He has held the undisputed[a] heavyweight championship since 2025, and the Ring magazine title since 2022. He held the undisputed championship[b] in two weight classes—cruiserweight and heavyweight—and is the first male boxer to become a three-time undisputed champion in the "four-belt era".[2][3]

As an amateur, Usyk won heavyweight gold medals at the 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics 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 tournament, Usyk became the first Ukrainian undisputed champion in history. In 2021, Usyk defeated unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua to win the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles. In May 2024, Usyk defeated Tyson Fury to claim the WBC title and the undisputed championship in his second weight class, one of only three boxers to do so in the four-belt era.[c] In July 2025, he knocked out Daniel Dubois to become two-time undisputed heavyweight champion, becoming the first boxer to do so since Muhammad Ali and first in the four belt era.[4]

Usyk was the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis was stripped of the title on 12 April 2000,[5] 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 (WBA) (Super title), World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxing Federation (IBF), and World Boxing Organization (WBO)—in the four-belt era.[6][7] 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 in 1990. The Ring and the Boxing Writers Association of America named Usyk their Fighter of the Year in 2018 and 2024.

In February 2025, Sportico ranked Usyk at No. 7 among the highest-paid athletes of 2024, with an estimated income of $122 million.[8][9][10][11] In May 2025, Forbes put him at No. 11 in its ranking of the highest-paid athletes in the world, with his earnings being estimated at $101 million.[12]

  1. ^ a b DAZN tale of the tape prior to the Daniel Dubois rematch.
  2. ^ D'Writer, Vince (18 May 2024). "Usyk Defeats Tyson Fury And Becomes A Two-Weight Undisputed Champion". www.boxingnews24.com. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Usyk knocks out Dubois in undisputed fight". ESPN.com. 19 July 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  4. ^ "Usyk vs Dubois 2: Oleksandr Usyk & 'Ivan' - the untouchable duo who can't be beaten?". BBC Sport. 20 July 2025. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Hard-Hitting Federal Judge Strips Lewis of WBA Title". Los Angeles Times. 13 April 2000. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Usyk routs Gassiev to become undisputed champ". ESPN.com. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  7. ^ Sajad, Kal (19 May 2024). "Usyk beats Fury to become undisputed champion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo was the highest paid athlete in 2024 on a list which featured no women in the top 100". CNN. 13 February 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  9. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in Top Five Highest Paid Athletes in 2024". Sports Illustrated. 14 February 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo tops list of highest-paid athletes, Ben Simmons the only Australian, no women in top 100". ABC News (Australia). 14 February 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  11. ^ "100 Highest-Paid Athletes in the World". Sportico. 13 February 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  12. ^ "2025 World's Highest-Paid Athletes". Forbes. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2025.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).