‘I Miss My Father’

Oleksandr Usyk broke down in tears after his big win.

Usyk became the first undisputed boxing Heavyweight champion in 25 years last night (Sat., May 18, 2024) when he scored a split decision win over Tyson Fury from inside the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (watch highlights).

During the post-fight press conference, Usyk reflected on his huge win but was brought to tears when he spoke about his father, who sadly passed away in 2012 when Usyk became an Olympic gold medalist.

“I miss my father,” Usyk said. “I said to my father, ‘Hey, listen. You live there, I live here.’ Please, no coming for me. I love you. For me it’s hard when my father is coming for me because I remember all my life. I know he’s here.”

The Ukrainian boxer also revealed that he sacrificed a lot during his training camp, including the birth of his daughter.

“My start was October 2023, November, December. Nine months I work,” Usyk said. “I missed Happy New Year. I missed the birthday [of my son], I missed the birthday [of my other son]. I missed the birthday [of my daughter]; I missed the birth [of my daughter.] I missed all of my family holidays, all the time training, training, training. My focus was only this fight, now I’m happy. I want to go back home.”

Usyk (22-0) is the first four-belt undisputed Heavyweight champion and is now considered one of, if not the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world.

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For complete Fury vs. Usyk results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.