The cool, quiet demeanor of Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk, even after beating Tyson Fury to retain his three heavyweight belts, is a contrast to the noisy, personal attacks in boxing.
As Usyk left Kingdom Arena on the night of December 21, resplendent in a purple tracksuit and holding an Eeyore teddy bear – a gift from his daughter – the Ukrainian’s promoter exclaimed, “Here he comes, the best in the world.”
Alex Krassyuk is not a traditional boxing promoter, a man much more reserved than most of his contemporaries. But Krassyuk’s pride after Usyk’s second straight win over Tyson Fury is understandable.
Fury has long despised and ridiculed Usyk, calling him “the gap-toothed, short middleweight,” “the good-for-nothing” and “the sausage.” Before the rematch in Saudi Arabia, with many advantages in reach, height and being nearly 25 kg heavier, the British boxer continued to fight, declaring that he would “put” an injured Usyk “in a cupboard”.
In response, the Ukrainian boxer was always calm, cool and only responded with his performance in the ring. In the match in May 2024, Usyk won by a split point to unify the titles, becoming the first absolute heavyweight champion in the four-belt era – WBA, IBF, WBC and WBO. Lennox Lewis was the last boxer to achieve this feat when he defeated Evander Holyfield and unified the three WBA, IBF and WBC belts in 1999.
From 1963 to 1983, the criteria for recognizing an absolute champion in boxing was winning two WBA and WBC belts. From 1983 to 2007, this title required the IBF belt. Since 2007, the absolute champion has held all four belts: WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO.
After beating Fury, Usyk opened a box containing a shiny sword that he revealed had once belonged to Ivan Mazepa, a 17th-century Cossack warrior and leader. It had been flown in from a museum in Ukraine so Usyk could hold it high in the ring.
It was more than just a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine’s indomitable frontline soldiers. For Usyk, it was a chance to highlight his WOW charity, which promotes Ukrainian culture and men like Mazepa who “fought for the country’s sovereignty”.
Uysk declined to discuss the possibility of a rematch with Dubois, the British IBF beltholder, to become the absolute champion for a second time. Instead, the Ukrainian spoke of the inspiration he received the previous afternoon from his sons. “The other day, my kids won and got the judo belts. Mykhailo got the orange belt, Kyrylo got the blue belt. And Kyrylo said to me before the fight, ‘Hey dad, you’re the next one to win.’ And I said, ‘Okay.'”
Usyk was later stripped of his IBF belt – now belonging to Daniel Dubois – so he only defended his WBA, WBC and WBO belts against Fury. In the rematch in Saudi Arabia on December 21, the Ukrainian continued to win the judges’ points to defend his title.
Before that, Usyk also won all four WBA, IBF, WBC and WBO cruiserweight belts (under 90.7 kg). He moved up to heavyweight (over 91 kg) from the match against Chazz Witherspoon in January 2019, winning overwhelmingly when forcing his opponent to throw in the white towel in the seventh round.
Becoming the absolute champion in two weight classes, Usyk still maintains his humility and simplicity. Boxing is a sport that is full of verbal attacks, personal attacks, and even brawls before the fight. But it has also produced some extraordinary people, and the Ukrainian champion is one of them.
While Fury believes he was robbed of victory, the world heavyweight champion remained polite. “Fury is my best friend,” Usyk said with a wry smile. “Fury talks a lot but I respect him a lot. Fury is strong, big, tough and he made me strong. The 24 rounds between me and Fury are historic.”
Usyk fought 24 rounds against Fury and Anthony Joshua, as well as nine rounds against Daniel Dubois. He was asked which of the three British heavyweight world champions he faced was the toughest. The Ukrainian looked down at his nails, as if they were freshly manicured rather than hidden under sweaty boxing gloves, and answered. “It’s Fury, for sure.”
Fury mocked Usyk for being awarded the points victory as a Christmas present. Fury’s promoter Frank Warren said it was “crazy” that the Briton was not awarded more rounds on points.
“Uncle Frank? I think he’s blind,” Usyk said cheerfully. “If Fury says it’s a Christmas present, then fine. Thank God. Not Tyson. Thank my coach, Yurii Tkachenko. Frank is crazy in my opinion. But it’s okay, it’s okay. I won.”
The 37-year-old dedicated the win to “my mother and all the mothers of Ukraine”, stressing his love for his homeland as the war with Russia continues with dire consequences.