Boxing

5 Facts About Oleksandr Usyk You Didn’t Know

Oleksandr Usyk facts that you probably didn't know.
Apratim Banerjee|
IMAGO / Xinhua

Oleksandr Usyk (23-0-0, 14 KOs) is a modern-day legend who has become the undisputed champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight weight divisions. He's only the third male fighter, after Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue, to achieve this extraordinary feat. He's has had a career full of achievements, and in 2018, was named Sports Illustrated's Fighter of the Year.

The Ukrainian boasts spectacular wins against the likes of Anthony Joshua (twice) and Tyson Fury (twice), and is the consensus greatest heavyweight of the modern era. Usyk returns to action on July 19, taking on Daniel Dubois in a rematch at Wembley Stadium in London. With a win, he could once again become the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois
IMAGO / NurPhoto

Apart from his boxing skills, Usyk is quite the character outside the ring. He is a man of many skills and even some hardcore boxing fans might not know some of these facts about Oleksandr Usyk.

Here arefive interesting things about the 38-year-old Ukrainian.

1. Usyk is an Olympic gold medalist

Long before winning the undisputed titles in professional boxing, Oleksandr Usyk represented Ukraine in the 2012 London Olympics, winning the gold medal in the heavyweight category. Usyk's future opponent, Anthony Joshua, was also a gold medalist in London 2012, albeit in super heavyweight.

Notably, Usyk also competed in the Beijing Olympics, winning the silver medal in 2008. Usyk started his professional career in 2013 and has never looked back since.

2. Usyk played professional soccer before boxing

Boxing has made Usyk a global superstar. However, his athletic career started as a soccer player before he switched to the sweet science back in 2002. Usyk trained with Ukrainian club SC Tavriya Simferopol at a young age.

He returned to Soccer in 2022, training with and even playing for FC Polissya Zhytomyr.

3. Usyk had an extended amateur career

Oleksandr Usyk was a renowned name on the boxing circuit long before turning professional. He had an extended amateur career, managing to amass an impressive record of 335-15. Following his gold medal win in the London 2012 Olympics, Usyk became a professional boxer.

Oleksandr Usyk
IMAGO / Ukrinform

4. Usyk competed in the World Series of Boxing

For a smooth transition from amateur to professional, Oleksandr Usyk competed in the 2012-13 World Series of Boxing. He took part in the heavyweight division and won all of his six fights, with two of those coming by stoppage and four by unanimous decision.

Usyk defeated Junior Fa, Eric Brechlin, Joe Joyce, Magomedrasul Majidov, Matteo Modugno and Mihai Nistor.

5. Usyk co-starred with The Rock

Oleksandr Usyk's talents are not limited to the boxing ring, as the Ukrainian has made several appearances in movies as well. The Fight Rules, A Tale As Old As Time, Reignited- Can't Get You Out of My Head, and most recently The Smashing Machine are among the movies he's appeared in.

Usyk co-starred with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in the MMA film The Smashing Machine.

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Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is a Boxing and Soccer reporter for On SI. He has been in the industry for five years, having also worked for The Sporting News, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. After coming from an engineering background, he started pursuing a career in sports media. Apratim also holds an MSc. Sport Marketing degree from Loughborough University London and is a keen practitioner of social media and digital marketing. In his spare time, Apratim likes to play an array of sports and practice calisthenics. He is also an avid enthusiast of improving his martial arts skills.