Oleksandr Usyk is known for his wins over Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois, but his debut saw him retire the cousin of a boxing legend.
Oleksandr Usyk cleared out the heavyweight division, becoming undisputed champion after a win over Tyson Fury in just six fights in the division, winning three of the major world titles in his third fight as a heavyweight.
Usyk previously blitzed through the cruiserweight division, becoming undisputed there too.
His last fight as a cruiserweight saw him retire Tony Bellew with a big knockout win. Bellew claims the ref saved his life that night, but though this was the last man he retired in the cruiserweight division, he would retire another man in his very first fight at the higher weight.
Oleksandr Usyk retired the cousin of Tim Witherspoon, who defeated Frank Bruno and ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith
In 2019, Usyk made the jump to heavyweight. Originally scheduled to face Tyrone Spong, Usyk ended up facing Chazz Witherspoon instead after Spong withdrew.
Witherspoon was 38-3 at the time of their fight, with one of those losses being a disqualification.
Witherspoon’s cousin was none other than Tim Witherspoon, who retired in 2003 and held wins over Frank Bruno and his rival James ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith, as well as a close split decision loss to Larry Holmes, who lost to Michael Spinks.
Chazz was outclassed by the Ukrainian, and the fight was all over in the seventh, setting Usyk up for his next fight, against Derek Chisora.
Oleksandr Usyk’s most viral moment happened outside of the ring after Anthony Joshua victory
Usyk’s heavyweight campaign saw him defeat Witherspoon and Chisora before plunging head-first into a world title contest against Anthony Joshua at the Tottenham Hotspur Arena in England.
He won the fight by unanimous decision, handing Joshua the second loss of his career, and the only loss he hadn’t avenged. Joshua has since lost to Daniel Dubois, though seeks to set that right in a rematch sometime down the line.
Following the win, a clip of Usyk’s post-fight interview went viral as he was asked “How do you feel?” to which he responded:
“I’m feel. I’m very feel.”
The phrase has now become a sort of catchphrase for the Ukrainian pound-for-pound elite.