Oleksandr Usyk will clash in a much-anticipated boxing match against the current WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on September 25, 2021. Ahead of his intriguing bout, we look at five amazing facts about Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk is a veteran of two Olympic games. He won his first silver by defeating Clemente Russo in Beijing in 2008. Then he earned his first gold four years later by defeating Russo in a rematch in the 2012 London Olympics.
Usyk is the first boxer ever to hold the four belts solely in the cruiserweight division. In 2016, he earned the WBO title by defeating Krzysztof Glowacki. Later, he won the WBC title against Mairis Briedis and added the WBA and IBF titles after beating Murat Gassiev.
Usyk’s boxing style inspired his moniker name ‘The Cat’. He shows his amazing swiftness, agility, and slickness inside the ring.
The Ukrainian-born boxer played football until he was 15-years-old. He was in the Ukrainian Premier League and played for SC Tavriya Simferopol until 2002. He turned his attention towards boxing after that.
‘The Cat’ turned professional with an incredible amateur record of 335-15. He was picked as the best amateur in the world back in 2012 by the International Boxing Association.