Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk knocked out Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of their heavyweight bout in Wembley Stadium in London on July 19, earning Usyk the title of undisputed world heavyweight champion for a second time.
Usyk also extended his undefeated professional record to 24 as the WBA, WBC, and WBO champion added his British opponent’s IBF belt to his collection.
The victory earned the Ukrainian $132.8 million, one of the largest payouts in boxing history. Usyk’s dominance of the heavyweight division has become a powerful symbol for Ukrainians amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Oleksandr The Great: The Rise Of Ukraine’s Boxing Champion Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk is set to earn a reported $132M in his bout with British fighter Daniel Dubois, one of the largest purses in boxing history. Photos from Usyk’s childhood and career chart his rise from an impoverished upbringing in Ukraine to his legendary status today.
Usyk, 38, dominated the opening four rounds and early in the fifth round he dropped Dubois to the canvas. Moments later he used his trademark left hook, and Dubois, 27, dropped a second time and was unable to beat the count.
It was Usyks second defeat of Dubois in under two years. The first was a ninth-round stoppage success in Krakow, Poland, in 2023, in which Dubois was ruled to have landed an illegal low blow in the fifth round.
Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs) joined British countrymen Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in having lost twice to the Usyk, who had success as an undisputed world champion before he moved up to heavyweight six years ago.
Usyk received a loud reception from supporters, many of them waving Ukraine national flags in a capacity crowd at Wembley Stadium.
After his victory he touted his age, telling the sports streaming service DAZN “38 is only start!” after falling to his knees.
“I want to say thank you to Jesus Christ. I want to say thank you to my team and Wembley, thank you so much! It’s for the people.”
He said he has no plans for the immediate future except to rest.
“My family, my wife, my children, I want to rest now. Two or three months, I want to just rest,” he said.
Dubois insisted he would return to the ring, saying: “I have to commend him (Usyk) on the performance. I gave everything I had. Take no credit away from that man. I’ll be back.”
Usyk was born in Crimea in 1987 in Simferopol, then still in Soviet Ukraine. In 1992 the family moved to northern Ukraine to survive the economic storm that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Usyk fell ill with pneumonia as a young child and spent months in hospitals. After surviving the illness, Usyk was advised to play sports to strengthen his immune system, and he chose football. When the cost of uniforms and training got too expensive, his father suggested he take up boxing.
Usyk won Olympic gold at the London Olympics in 2012, then turned professional in 2013. Six years later he began competing as a super heavyweight, a weight class that is well above his natural weight, and he quickly won an international fan base.
In February 2022, Usyk was in the UK when his wife texted him that Russia had launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. The boxer immediately flew to Poland, then traveled to Kyiv, where he joined a territorial defense battalion.
Wounded Ukrainian soldiers convinced him to leave Ukraine and return to training as a boxer.
“They explained to me that as a soldier I wouldn’t be able to do as much for my country as I could as a boxer,” he said.
Amid the war with Russia, Usyk is primarily motivated by the inspiration he gives to his fellow Ukrainians.
“I’m not boxing for a belt now, I’m boxing for everyone who defends our country, and in memory of those warriors who are no longer with us,” he said.
