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==== Usyk vs. Gassiev ====
==== Usyk vs. Gassiev ====
After Usyk beat Briedis, it was announced in the post-fight press conference that the final in [[Jeddah]], Saudi Arabia, would take place on 11 May 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.boxingnews24.com/2018/01/usyk-faces-gassiev-dorticos-winner-may-11th-saudi-arabia/|title=Usyk faces Gassiev-Dorticos winner on May 11th in Saudi Arabia » Boxing News|date=2018-01-27|work=Boxing News 24|access-date=2018-01-28|language=en-US}}</ref> On 3 February, [[Murat Gassiev]] (26-0, 19 KOs) stopped [[Yunier Dorticos]], setting up the final. Usyk entered the ring and congratulated Gassiev on his win.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/22310788/murat-gassiev-defeats-yunier-dorticos-earn-spot-wbss-final|title=Gassiev stops Dorticos, earns spot in WBSS final|work=ESPN.com|access-date=2018-02-04}}</ref> A day after Gassiev's win, the Russian Boxing Federation's Secretary General, Umar Kremlev stated that he would push forward in order to outbid Saudi Arabia and have the final of the tournament take place in Russia on the Day of Russian Boxing on 22 July. In a statement, he said, "We will put maximum pressure on the organizers of the WBSS to make the final of the tournament in Russia. We have already started to act and have indicated our intention to break the price being paid for the show by Saudi Arabia."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.boxingscene.com/usyk-vs-gassiev-russia-making-big-play-outbid-saudi-arabia--124955|title=Usyk vs. Gassiev - Russia Making Big Play To Outbid Saudi Arabia|work=BoxingScene.com|access-date=2018-02-06|language=en-us}}</ref> On 5 February, ''[[The Ring (magazine)|The Ring Magazine]]'' announced the winner would receive their [[List of The Ring world champions#Cruiserweight|vacant cruiserweight]] title as Usyk and Gassiev are ranked #1 and #2 respectively in their weight.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ringtv.com/527954-oleksandr-usyk-murat-gassiev-contest-vacant-ring-200-pound-title/|title=Oleksandr Usyk and Murat Gassiev to contest vacant RING 200-pound title - The Ring|date=2018-02-05|work=The Ring|access-date=2018-02-06|language=en-US}}</ref> On 16 April, it was reported that Usyk had suffered an elbow injury during training, pushing the final to possibly June or July 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.boxingscene.com/usyk-injured-wbss-final-with-murat-gassiev-postponed--127227|title=Usyk Injured, WBSS Final With Murat Gassiev Postponed|work=BoxingScene.com|access-date=2018-04-18|language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.espn.co.uk/boxing/story/_/id/23204486/the-world-boxing-super-series-cruiserweight-final-postponed-due-injury-oleksandr-usyk|title=Usyk-Gassiev WBSS title fight postponed|work=ESPN.com|access-date=2018-04-18}}</ref>
After Usyk beat Briedis, it was announced in the post-fight press conference that the final in [[Jeddah]], Saudi Arabia, would take place on 11 May 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.boxingnews24.com/2018/01/usyk-faces-gassiev-dorticos-winner-may-11th-saudi-arabia/|title=Usyk faces Gassiev-Dorticos winner on May 11th in Saudi Arabia » Boxing News|date=2018-01-27|work=Boxing News 24|access-date=2018-01-28|language=en-US}}</ref> On 3 February, [[Murat Gassiev]] (26-0, 19 KOs) stopped [[Yunier Dorticos]], setting up the final. Usyk entered the ring and congratulated Gassiev on his win.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/22310788/murat-gassiev-defeats-yunier-dorticos-earn-spot-wbss-final|title=Gassiev stops Dorticos, earns spot in WBSS final|work=ESPN.com|access-date=2018-02-04}}</ref> A day after Gassiev's win, the Russian Boxing Federation's Secretary General, Umar Kremlev stated that he would push forward in order to outbid Saudi Arabia and have the final of the tournament take place in Russia on the Day of Russian Boxing on 22 July. In a statement, he said, "We will put maximum pressure on the organizers of the WBSS to make the final of the tournament in Russia. We have already started to act and have indicated our intention to break the price being paid for the show by Saudi Arabia."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.boxingscene.com/usyk-vs-gassiev-russia-making-big-play-outbid-saudi-arabia--124955|title=Usyk vs. Gassiev - Russia Making Big Play To Outbid Saudi Arabia|work=BoxingScene.com|access-date=2018-02-06|language=en-us}}</ref> On 5 February, ''[[The Ring (magazine)|The Ring Magazine]]'' announced the winner would receive their [[List of The Ring world champions#Cruiserweight|vacant cruiserweight]] title as Usyk and Gassiev are ranked #1 and #2 respectively in their weight.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ringtv.com/527954-oleksandr-usyk-murat-gassiev-contest-vacant-ring-200-pound-title/|title=Oleksandr Usyk and Murat Gassiev to contest vacant RING 200-pound title - The Ring|date=2018-02-05|work=The Ring|access-date=2018-02-06|language=en-US}}</ref> On 16 April, it was reported that Usyk had suffered an elbow injury during training, pushing the final to possibly June or July 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.boxingscene.com/usyk-injured-wbss-final-with-murat-gassiev-postponed--127227|title=Usyk Injured, WBSS Final With Murat Gassiev Postponed|work=BoxingScene.com|access-date=2018-04-18|language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.espn.co.uk/boxing/story/_/id/23204486/the-world-boxing-super-series-cruiserweight-final-postponed-due-injury-oleksandr-usyk|title=Usyk-Gassiev WBSS title fight postponed|work=ESPN.com|access-date=2018-04-18}}</ref> On 18 June, at a press conference, Russian Boxing Federation's General Secretary Umar Kremlev announced the final would take place on 21 July at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.boxingscene.com/usyk-vs-gassiev-land-moscow-on-july-21-says-rbf-exec--129229|title=Usyk vs. Gassiev To Land in Moscow on July 21, Says RBF Exec|work=BoxingScene.com|access-date=2018-06-20|language=en-us}}</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==

Revision as of 16:41, 20 June 2018

Oleksandr Usyk
Олександр Усик
Usyk in 2015
Born
Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk

(1987-01-17) 17 January 1987 (age 37)
NationalityUkrainian
Other namesThe Cat
Statistics
Weight(s)Cruiserweight
Height1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Reach198 cm (78 in)
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights14
Wins14
Wins by KO11
Losses0
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  Ukraine
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Heavyweight
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Baku Heavyweight
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Milan Heavyweight
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2008 Liverpool Light-heavyweight
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Plovdiv Middleweight

Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk (Ukrainian: Олекса́ндр Олекса́ндрович У́сик) is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He is currently a unified cruiserweight world champion, having held the WBO title since 2016 and the WBC title since January 2018. As of February 2018 he is ranked as the world's best active cruiserweight by The Ring magazine,[1] the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, ESPN, and BoxRec. As an amateur, Usyk won gold medals at the 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics, both in the heavyweight division.

Early life

Usyk was born in Simferopol, Crimean Oblast, Ukrainian SSR. Until age 15, he used to play association football and was trained at the SC Tavriya Simferopol specialized sports school of Olympic reserve (club's football academy). In 2002 Usyk switched to boxing. He is a graduate of Lviv State University of Physical Culture.

Amateur career

At the 2006 European Championships he won his first three matches against little-known opponents, in the semi-final he was outclassed by Russian star Matvey Korobov.

He then moved up to light-heavyweight later and won the Strandja Cup in 2008.

In February 2008, he moved up another weightclass and was sent to the Olympic qualifier in Roseto degli Abruzzi replacing European Champion Denys Poyatsyka. There he defeated world class Azeri Elchin Alizade and Daniel Price.[2]

At the 2008 Olympics, Uysk he outpointed Yushan Nijiati by 23–4, but lost to Clemente Russo by 4–7.

He dropped down to light-heavyweight and won gold at the 2008 European Championships, but later moved back up to heavyweight. At the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships he beat Artur Beterbiev and Teymur Mammadov to win the Heavyweight title and qualify for the Olympics.

At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Usyk won the gold medal, beating Artur Beterbiev, Tervel Pulev and Italy's Clemente Russo, outscoring him by 6–3 in Round 3.[3]

Professional career

Early career

Usyk turned pro in late 2013 at the age of 26 and signed a promotional deal with the Klitschko brothers' K2 Promotions, fighting in the Cruiserweight division.[4]

On 9 November 2013 Usyk made his professional debut by defeating Mexican fighter Felipe Romero via a fifth-round knockout. The following month he stopped 38 year old Epifanio Mendoza in four rounds. In his 3rd professional fight on April 2014, Usyk made his debut in Germany on the undercard of Klitschko-Leapai at the Koenig Pilsener Arena defeating Ben Nsafoah via 3rd-round knockout.[5] A month later, Usyk returned home and knocked out Cesar David Crenz in round 4, having knocked him down in round 3 as well.

Rise up the ranks

Usyk won his first title on 4 October 2014 after beating South African boxer Daniel Bruwer via round 7 technical knockout for the Interim WBO Inter-Continental cruiserweight title.[6] Usyk defended the title two months later stopping 35 year old Danie Venter in round 9.[7] Usyk was ahead on all three judges scorecards at the time of stoppage.

Usyk made another defence in April 2015 against former Russian cruiserweight champion Andrey Knyazev (11-1, 6 KOs) in Kiev. After seven one-sided rounds, referee Mickey Vann finally stopped the fight in round 8 after deciding Knyazev had taken enough beating. This win kept Usyk on course to a WBO title fight against then champion Marco Huck.[8]

In August 2015, Usyk defeated former South African light heavyweight champion Johnny Muller via 3rd-round technical knockout at the Sport Palace in Kiev, which saw Usyk control the fight with a jab. Usyk knocked down Muller twice in round 3 and although Muller protested, referee waved the fight off with one second of the round left.[9]

Usyk made a fourth and final defense against unknown Cuban boxer Pedro Rodriguez in a scheduled 12 round fight on 12 December at the Sport Palace. Usyk won the fight scoring his 9th straight knockout in as many fights, first dropping Rodriguez in round 6 with an uppercut before the fight was stopped in round 7, being knocked down again, although he beat the count. This win put Usyk at WBO's number 1 position, with a World title fight on the cards for 2016.[10]

WBO cruiserweight champion

Usyk vs. Głowacki

In June 2016, it was announced that Usyk would challenge undefeated Polish boxer Krzysztof Głowacki (26-0, 16 KOs) for his WBO cruiserweight champion on 17 September at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland.[11][12][13] It was reported that Usyk's trainer James Ali Bashir wanted to recruit former world champion Antonio Tarver as a sparring partner. It was said that Tarver not only requested too much money, but he also wanted to appear on the card as a co-featured main event.[14] Głowacki weighed 199.3 pounds, which Usyk coming in slightly lighter at 198.75 pounds.[15] The fight was shown live on Sky Sports in the UK.[16] On the night, Usyk outpointed Głowacki after an exciting 12 round fight with the judges scoring it 119-109 117-111 117-111 all in Usyk's favour. The decision win also ended Usyk's run of having won his opening 9 fights via stoppage. Usyk dominated the fight with a jab, eventually injuring Głowacki's eye early in the fight leading it to eventually bleed. The cut continued to bleed for the remainder of the contest. Usyk also used his dominant hand speed and footwork which helped him score the decision win.[17][18]

Usyk vs. Mchunu

Usyk announced he would be making his American debut on the Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Smith Jr. card on 17 December 2016. The fight would take place at the Forum in Inglewood, California.[19] On 11 November K2 Promotions announced Usyk would be defending his WBO title against 28 year old South African boxer Thabiso Mchunu (17-2, 11 KOs). Mchunu previously lost to Ilunga Makabu via 11th round stoppage, although being ahead on the scorecards at the time.[20][21] Usyk broke down Mchunu eventually stopping him in the 9th round. Prior to the stoppage, Usyk also knocked Mchunu down in the 6th round. In round 9, Usyk knocked Mchunu down twice in. The fight was halted by referee Lou Moret after the second knockdown. Although the fight started very slow, the fans in attendance began to boo. The pace was picked up after the first couple of rounds, when Usyk started connecting with his trademark combos.[22] CompuBox statistics showed that Usyk landed 163 of 517 punches thrown (32%), and Mchunu landed 76 of his 278 (27%).[23]

The official time of the stoppage was at 2:53. Prior to the fight, Usyk spoke of his desire to fight other cruiserweight titlists as well as fighting Anthony Joshua at heavyweight.[24][25] The fight averaged 560,000 viewers on HBO, this was considered good numbers considering it was Usyk's HBO debut and on the undercard.[26]

Usyk vs. Hunter

K2 Promotions announced that Usyk would be returning on regular HBO to defend his cruiserweight world title in April 2017. He was originally planned to appear on the undercard of the Golovkin-Jacobs HBO PPV in March at Madison Square Garden, however since Roman Gonzalez and Carlos Cuadras were scheduled to appear in separate fights and not fight each other, Usyk was pulled from the card.[27]

On 12 February 2017, Usyk announced that he had parted ways with long time trainer James Ali Bashir and replaced him with Vasyl Lomachenko's father and trainer, Anatoly Lomachenko.[28][29] Bob Arum announced that Usyk would be part of a triple header including Vasyl Lomachenko at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland on 8 April 2017 against Michael Hunter (12-0, 8 KOs).[30] Usyk weighed 199.4 whilst Hunter came in at 199 pounds.[31] In front of a sold out crowd of 2,828, where there was majority Ukrainian fans in attendance, Usyk was taken the distance for the second time in his career and won a rather one-sided unanimous decision to retain his WBO title. Hunter unexpectedly controlled the first three rounds behind the jab. It wasn't until the fourth round, when Usyk took control of the bout using his left and connecting well to the body to win majority of the remainder rounds. Pundits thought Hunter was gifted going the distance and the fight should have been stopped by referee Bill Clancy in the championship rounds. In round 12, it appeared in the last minute, Hunter, whilst taking punches, was only standing because of the ropes where holding him up. Referee halted the fight and gave Hunter a standing 8 count, ruling it a knockdown for Usyk. All three judges scored the fight unanimously 117-110 for Usyk. Although it took him a few rounds to get into the fight, Usyk was happy with his performance and called out other titleholders, "I'm very happy with my performance,. I did what I wanted to do. He took a lot of punches. I thought maybe they would stop the fight (in the 12th round). I'd love to fight any of the titleholders, any time, any place."[32]

According to CompuBox punch stats, Usyk landed 321 of his 905 punches thrown, 36%. Hunter managed to land 24% of his punches, connecting 190 of 794.[33] The fight drew an average of 679,000 viewers on HBO and peaked at 774,000 viewers.[34][35]

World Boxing Super Series

On 1 July 2017, Usyk finally announced that he would join fellow cruiserweights Mairis Briedis, Murat Gassiev, Yunier Dorticos, Marco Huck and Krzysztof Włodarczyk in the 8-man bracket style tournament, due to start in September 2017. He said, "I feel happy and inspired with the idea of such a tournament. I've been dreaming of putting together all the champs to see who is the strongest and becomes the undisputed king of the division." The draw was to take place on July 8 in Monte Carlo. The winner of the tournament would receive a grand money prize and the Muhammad Ali trophy.[36]

Usyk vs. Huck

At the Draft Gala, Usyk, who had first pick, chose to fight former WBO champion Marco Huck (40–4–1, 27 KOs). When asked why he chose Huck, Usyk said, "Because of my fans." Huck, who was equally excited, replied that Usyk was his 'wish opponent'.[37] On 26 July it was announced that the fight would take place at the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin on 9 September 2017. This would mark the second time Usyk would fight in Germany in his professional career, having fought there on his third professional bout in April 2014. It would also mark the first fight of the tournament.[38][39][40]

On 6 September 2017, at the final presser, Huck pushed Usyk in the face-off. In regards to the shove, Huck said, "I wanted to show Usyk that he is my hometown and that he should be prepared for the battle of his life on Saturday." Usyk, who remained professional and calm, replied, "If you want to be a great champion, you have to beat the best and Huck is one of the best. I chose to enter this tournament because it is a path to achieve my dream of unifying all the belts. There’s a prestigious trophy at stake too, the Muhammad Ali Trophy. We were born on the same day and I admire Ali because he is the biggest role model in boxing and I will thank God if I win a trophy with his name on it."[41] As he was leaving the building, Usyk claimed he would 'bury' Huck.[42]

On fight night, Usyk used his footwork and combination punching to cruise to a TKO win. On top of his dominant performance, Usyk taunted Huck throughout the fight. In round 8, Usyk tripped on Huck's feet and Huck lost a point on the scorecards as he threw a punch at Usyk when the latter was down. Usyk continued to land combinations with little to no response from Huck until referee Robert Byrd stopped the fight in the tenth round. With the win, Usyk progressed to the semi-final stage of the Super Series and was to face the winner of the Mairis Briedis vs. Mike Perez, scheduled for 30 September.[43][44]

Usyk vs. Briedis

Usyk would next fight Mairis Briedis (23–0, 18 KOs) following the latter's win over Perez via unanimous decision.[45][46][47] In November 2017, it was reported the fight would take place on 27 January 2018 in Riga, Latvia, a week before Gassiev vs. Dorticos takes place.[48] Arēna Rīga was confirmed as the location by Comosa's Chief Boxing Officer Kalle Sauerland.[49] Usyk came in at 199.5 pounds and Briedis weighed 199.1 pounds.[50] Usyk moved on to the final of the tournament after defeating Briedis via majority decision. With a high work rate, Usyk controlled most of the fight with his jab put on pressure when needed. Briedis was credited with landing the more harder punches. The opening four rounds where closely contested and Usyk was cut from a head-butt over his right eye in round 3. From round 5, Usyk became busier and took control of the fight, although he was still hit with some hard shots to the head from Briedis. One judge scored the fight 114-114, whilst the remaining two judges scored the fight 115-113 in favour of Usyk giving him the win. After the fight, Usyk stated it was the hardest fight of his career.[51][52] According to CompuBox Stats, Usyk landed 212 of 848 punches thrown (25%) and Briedis was more accurate, landing 195 of his 579 thrown (33.7%). Usyk landed 40% of his power punches.[53] Many boxers and pundits praised the fight.[54]

Usyk vs. Gassiev

After Usyk beat Briedis, it was announced in the post-fight press conference that the final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, would take place on 11 May 2018.[55] On 3 February, Murat Gassiev (26-0, 19 KOs) stopped Yunier Dorticos, setting up the final. Usyk entered the ring and congratulated Gassiev on his win.[56] A day after Gassiev's win, the Russian Boxing Federation's Secretary General, Umar Kremlev stated that he would push forward in order to outbid Saudi Arabia and have the final of the tournament take place in Russia on the Day of Russian Boxing on 22 July. In a statement, he said, "We will put maximum pressure on the organizers of the WBSS to make the final of the tournament in Russia. We have already started to act and have indicated our intention to break the price being paid for the show by Saudi Arabia."[57] On 5 February, The Ring Magazine announced the winner would receive their vacant cruiserweight title as Usyk and Gassiev are ranked #1 and #2 respectively in their weight.[58] On 16 April, it was reported that Usyk had suffered an elbow injury during training, pushing the final to possibly June or July 2018.[59][60] On 18 June, at a press conference, Russian Boxing Federation's General Secretary Umar Kremlev announced the final would take place on 21 July at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia.[61]

Personal life

Usyk is married to Kateryna and the couple have 3 children (born in 2009, 2013 and 2015).[62]

Roughly one month after the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation Usyk declared (on 28 April 2014) he would never exchange his Ukrainian citizenship for a Russian one and that he considered Crimea a part of Ukraine.[63]

In 2016, answering to a question if he can still enter Crimea and his patriotic position, he stated that he can enter Crimea after each of his fight; that he doesn't like to talk politics due to the fact that people like to take words out of context, that in Russia he has many fans and that he doesn't divide "our peoples because we are Slavs".[64]

Professional boxing record

14 fights 14 wins 0 losses
By knockout 11 0
By decision 3 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
15 Russia Murat Gassiev – (12) 21 July 2018 Russia Olympic Stadium, Moscow, Russia Defending WBC and WBO cruiserweight titles;
For WBA, IBF, vacant The Ring and lineal cruiserweight titles;
World Boxing Super Series: cruiserweight final
14 Win 14–0 Latvia Mairis Briedis MD 12 27 Jan 2018 Latvia Arēna Rīga, Riga, Latvia Retained WBO cruiserweight title;
Won WBC cruiserweight title;
World Boxing Super Series: cruiserweight semi-final
13 Win 13–0 Germany Marco Huck TKO 10 (12), 2:12 9 Sep 2017 Germany Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin, Germany Retained WBO cruiserweight title;
World Boxing Super Series: cruiserweight quarter-final
12 Win 12–0 United States Michael Hunter UD 12 8 Apr 2017 United States MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Maryland, US Retained WBO cruiserweight title
11 Win 11–0 South Africa Thabiso Mchunu TKO 9 (12), 1:53 17 Dec 2016 United States The Forum, Inglewood, California, US Retained WBO cruiserweight title
10 Win 10–0 Poland Krzysztof Głowacki UD 12 17 Sep 2016 Poland Ergo Arena, Gdańsk, Poland Won WBO cruiserweight title
9 Win 9–0 Cuba Pedro Rodriguez TKO 7 (12), 1:57 12 Dec 2015 Ukraine Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine Retained WBO Inter-Continental cruiserweight title
8 Win 8–0 South Africa Johnny Muller TKO 3 (12), 2:59 29 Aug 2015 Ukraine Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine Retained WBO Inter-Continental cruiserweight title
7 Win 7–0 Russia Andrey Knyazev TKO 8 (10), 2:24 18 Apr 2015 Ukraine Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine Retained WBO Inter-Continental cruiserweight title
6 Win 6–0 South Africa Danie Venter TKO 9 (10), 2:29 13 Dec 2014 Ukraine Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine Retained WBO Inter-Continental cruiserweight title
5 Win 5–0 South Africa Daniel Bruwer TKO 7 (12), 2:55 4 Oct 2014 Ukraine Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine Won WBO Inter-Continental interim cruiserweight title
4 Win 4–0 Argentina Cesar David Crenz KO 4 (8), 2:19 31 May 2014 Ukraine Sport Palace, Odessa, Ukraine
3 Win 3–0 Germany Ben Nsafoah KO 3 (8), 1:43 26 Apr 2014 Germany König Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, Germany
2 Win 2–0 Colombia Epifanio Mendoza TKO 4 (6), 2:10 7 Dec 2013 Ukraine Ice Arena TEC Terminal, Brovary, Ukraine
1 Win 1–0 Mexico Felipe Romero TKO 5 (6), 1:36 11 Sep 2013 Ukraine Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine

References

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  34. ^ "Lomachenko-Sosa Peaked at 886K Viewers on HBO; Averaged 832K - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
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  62. ^ Template:Uk icon Oleksandr's wife Katerina gave birth to a son, Televiziyna Sluzhba Novyn (8 February 2013)
  63. ^ Template:Uk icon Usyk: "I am Ukrainian, and Crimea is Ukrainian", Ukrayinska Pravda Champion (28 April 2014)
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Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
New title WBO Inter-Continental
cruiserweight champion
Interim title

4 October 2014 – December 2014
Promoted
Vacant
Vacant
Title last held by
Krzysztof Głowacki
WBO Inter-Continental
cruiserweight champion

December 2014 – 17 September 2016
Won world title
Vacant
Title next held by
Imre Szellő
World boxing titles
Preceded by
Krzysztof Głowacki
WBO cruiserweight champion
17 September 2016 – present
Incumbent
Preceded by WBC cruiserweight champion
27 January 2018 – present