World-famous Ukrainian boxer Usik Alexander Alexandrovich was born on January 17, 1987 in Simferopol. He studied at school number 34. In the same class as a boxer, the granite of science and his future wife gnawed. Now Usyk is the Olympic champion in 2012 in the weight category up to 91 kilograms, the world champion among fans of 2011 and the European champion in 2006 and 2008. He also holds the title of champion of Ukraine and Honored Master of Sports of Ukraine.
When there seems to be no hope ...
Remembering Alexander’s childhood, his mother Nadezhda Petrovna says that at the age of three, her son began to have serious health problems. Then he caught a cold in the lungs, the boy discovered the first stage of tuberculosis. He suffered until the age of six. One doctor advised parents to change the climate. The family decided to move to their mother’s homeland - to the village of Rybotin, Chernihiv region.
And then Usik Alexander Alexandrovich went to first grade. He studied for only two weeks, after which he spent the whole year in the hospital. Doctors strictly forbade the boy to engage in physical education, but he still ran even through the hospital, ignoring the instructions. After discharge, Usyk was actively involved in sports: every day he played football, basketball, volleyball and even swam in Desna. Alexander says that only at eleven years the disease completely receded. Now he has ceased to be afraid of bronchitis, pneumonia and even tuberculosis. The boxer is sure that he could survive only through sport and faith in the Lord.
The beginning of a boxing career
Alexander discovered boxing for himself quite late. Only at the age of fifteen did he decide to devote his life to this sport. Usik says that many were skeptical of his decision to become a boxer, but he did not stop dreaming of winning the Olympics. It took Usyk ten years to climb the golden pedestal for the first time.
The first coach of the boxer Sergey Lapin said that when Sasha came to him to enroll in the section, then in front of him stood a thin guy with a far from boxing physique. This is now he - the world-famous athlete Usik Alexander Alexandrovich, but not a single sports club wanted to accept him before. From the first training session, the young guy impressed the coach with his ability to defend himself. It was this, according to the first mentor, that allowed Usyk later to win such strong sparring.
The first steps in professional boxing
After graduating from Lviv State University of Physical Education, Usik Alexander Alexandrovich began to appear more and more often at various championships. Height, weight (190 cm, 90 kg) and great boxing talent allowed the fighter to take part in the European Championship. Then, in 2006, he managed to reach the semifinals, in which he could not defeat the Russian Matvey Korobov.
The year 2008 turned out to be more favorable for the young boxer: he won the Strange Cup in Bulgaria. In the same year, Usik Alexander Alexandrovich won the European Championship and soon became the silver medalist at the World Cup championship. Already in 2009, at the World Cup, the boxer lost the fight to the Russian Egor Mekhontsev, receiving a bronze medal.
Olympic exploits of Ukrainian boxer
In February 2008, the Olympic Committee sent Usyk to Roseto degli Abruzzi as a replacement for Denis Poyaziki. This time he managed to defeat world-class boxers, including Azerbaijani Elshan Alizade and Briton Danny Price. This allowed him to take part in the 2008 Olympics. Alexander was able to win in the first two rounds, but the boxer got the title of Olympic champion a little later.
In 2012, the victory at the Olympic Games was still won by Usik Alexander Alexandrovich. Photos and videos of an unrivaled victory over Italian boxer Clemente Russo have spread all over the world. In addition, the Ukrainian hit his fans with a hopak, which he danced after the final match.
The contract with WSB (World Series Boxing) was the next step in the career of a promising boxer. Now Usyk stands for the Ukrainian Atamans club.
And here he is - professional boxing
The highest level of Usik's skill allowed him in 2013 to sign a contract with the world-famous company of Klitschko brothers K2 Promotions. He received several offers from giant promoters, but the boxer decided not to leave Ukraine, where all his relatives live.
November 9, 2013 - the day of the first victory of a fighter in a professional ring. His competitor Felipe Romero knocked down in the fourth round and refused to continue the fight. The whole country is proud that the winner is Alexander Usyk.
The biography of the boxer in 2015 was supplemented by another bright date. On April 18, he defended the WBO Heavyweight Intercontinental Champion title by defeating Russian Andrei Knyazev in the eighth round. Today, Usyk is one of the best boxers in the world, and perhaps over time he will be able to surpass the Klitschko brothers themselves .