Alexander first of all thanked all Ukrainians who defend our country from the enemy
Absolute world heavyweight champion Alexander Usik spoke with words of gratitude, which were addressed to family, friends and all compatriots for their support before, during and after the championship fight against Tyson Fury.
“A little time has passed since the fight, my face is a little bruised. But thank God there is victory. I want to thank all the Ukrainians who prayed for me, all those guys who protect our country and protect it from the enemy. I want to thank my mom, dad, wife and all our children who are now withstanding this pressure. Thank you for your support. I received a huge number of greeting messages. Thank you!”
I want to say a big thank you to everyone who supports me and my country – this is very important to me. I really appreciate it. Thank God for everything. Glory to Ukraine”.
On the night of May 19, Usik inflicted the first defeat in his professional career on Briton Tyson Fury in a fight that took place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). In the ninth round, Alexander knocked down the “Gypsy King” deeply, and only the referee’s intervention prevented the fight from ending ahead of schedule. As a result, the victory was awarded to the Ukrainian by a split decision: 115-112, 113-114 and 114-113.
Usik became the first absolute world heavyweight champion in the era of four belts. In the heavyweight division, the last time Lennox Lewis held absolute status was in 1999, but then three titles were enough for this title.
Alexander is the second boxer in history after Evander Holyfield, who was the absolute world champion in cruiserweight and heavyweight. Also, the Ukrainian boxer became the third (after Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue) in the era of four prestigious titles to become the absolute champion in two weight categories.
It was reported that an agreement had been reached between Usyk and Fury for a re-fight. The Chairman of the General Authority of Entertainment of Saudi Arabia, Turki Al al-Sheikh, stated that the rematch between Alexander and Tyson is scheduled for October 12-13 in Riyadh.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
