Oleksandr Usyk Knocks Out Dubois To Reclaim Undisputed Heavyweight Title
Oleksandr Usyk celebrates winning his fight against Daniel Dubois in London on July 19.
Oleksandr Usyk knocked out Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of their heavyweight bout in Wembley Stadium in London on July 19, earning the Ukrainian boxer 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
1/12Heavyweight boxing world champion Oleksandr Usyk meets Ukrainian war veterans in London on July 17.
Usyk will face British boxer Daniel Dubois in a heavyweight rematch on July 19 that will net the Ukrainian a reported $132.8M, one of the largest payouts in boxing history. Usyk’s dominance as a heavyweight against much larger opponents has become a powerful symbol for Ukrainians amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
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.
2/12A neighborhood in Simferopol, Soviet Ukraine in 1987.
Usyk was born in Simferopol, Crimea in Soviet Ukraine in 1987. Usyk enjoyed a carefree early childhood but in 1992 the family relocated to northern Ukraine to weather the economic storm that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. “To put it bluntly, it was tough,” Usyk recalled of the period.
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.
3/12Usyk with his mother in the 1990s.
With the family barely scraping by in the 1990s, the young Usyk caught pneumonia and spent months in and out of hospitals. Doctors warned his parents the boy may not survive. Sport was recommended as a way to improve Usyk’s immunity after the health scare and the boy took up football.
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.
4/12Usyk as a baby with his father and older sister.
Poverty ended Usyk’s early dream of becoming a professional footballer. His father told him the family could no longer afford to pay for training sessions or uniforms. Instead, the elder Usyk suggested boxing.
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.
5/12Usyk with some of his early boxing medals.
The sportsman says when he was a child he promised his mother he would one day buy a large house where the family could live together. “With these hands, I will do everything in my power to make sure you no longer have to work, my dear mother,” he told her.
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.
6/12Usyk celebrates winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics.
After hundreds of amateur bouts, Usyk was selected for Ukraine’s team for the 2008 Olympics but was beaten by Italian heavyweight Clemente Russo. Four years later he faced the Italian once more in the heavyweight division and won gold. After the victory, Usyk’s father told his athlete son he loved him by phone – a moment the boxer still holds onto. The elder Usyk died just two days after learning of his son’s Olympic victory.
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.
7/12Oleksandr Usyk celebrates becoming the cruiserweight world champion in November 2018.
Usyk turned professional in 2013, meaning he could fight for purses. He soon cleaned out the cruiserweight (90.7 kilogram) divisions. A former opponent described the difficulty of fighting the Ukrainian, “he moves a lot, and he’s very fit.” The stamina of the Ukrainian allowed him to steadily turn up the pace through later rounds of a fight as his opponents began to wilt.
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.
8/12Usyk after a heavyweight fight with British Boxer Anthony Joshua in September 2021.
In 2019 Usyk began fighting in the heavyweight division, a category far above his natural weight. He swiftly won over international fans with interviews that often bounced from inspiring to playful. When a reporter asked him what sets him apart from other fighters, he pointed to his mouth, responding, “I have a gap between my teeth.”
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.
9/12Usyk (center right) armed with one of his own weapons during the early days of the Russian invasion.
In February 2022, Usyk was in the UK when his wife texted him the news that Russia was invading Ukraine. The boxer immediately flew to Poland, then drove to Kyiv where he joined a territorial defense battalion.
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.
10/12Oleksandr Usyk celebrates winning a rematch against British boxer Anthony Joshua in August 2022.
Usyk was convinced by wounded Ukrainian soldiers to leave Ukraine and return to training. “They explained to me that as a soldier I would not be able to do as much for my country as I would as a boxer,” he recalled.
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.
11/12Usyk (left) dodges a hook from British heavyweight Tyson Fury in May 2024.
The Ukrainian boxer captured the world’s imagination with a David vs. Goliath display against Tyson Fury, who was 18 kilos heavier than Usyk at weigh-in and has an 18 centimeter reach advantage. Usyk has beaten Fury twice, handing the Briton his only defeats. Usyk remains unbeaten as a professional.
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.
12/12Usyk alongside Daniel Dubois during weigh-ins on July 18.
Usyk has said amid the ongoing Russian invasion he is primarily motivated by the inspiration he knows he offers to his fellow Ukrainians. “I’m not boxing for the belt now, I’m boxing for everyone who is defending our country, and in memory of those warriors who are no longer with us.
The Usyk-Dubois fight will be held in London’s Wembley Stadium on July 19.
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.
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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 Usyk's 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 cruiserweight champion before he moved up to heavyweight six years ago.
Usyk received a loud reception from supporters, many of them waving Ukrainian 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 United Kingdom 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.
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