Heavyweight champion announces relaunch of promotional company.
Oleksandr Usyk is the WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight champion. He has been undisputed champion three times across two divisions, is officially undefeated in 24 fights, and is universally regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
However, Usyk is now 39, and fans wonder how much longer he can go on for. Whenever it may be that Usyk walks away from the sport, it appears he is presently focused on something outside of his own career.
Now the champion and his team are relaunching “Usyk17”, a promotional company formed around focusing on the next generation of boxing talent in Ukraine.
In a statement, Usyk said, “Usyk17 is back. This spring in Kyiv, we want to host a big tournament. We’ll announce it at a later date.”
Speaking on the prospects the promotion will be supporting, he stated, “Exclusively, these fighters will be young, promising boxers from Ukraine, and we’ll help these guys reach their goals. Everything that depends on us, we’ll do for the growth of new champions in our country. Champions are formed long before titles. The path matters more than quick success. My incredible team and I have done tremendous work and gained invaluable experience on the road to my championship belts, and we are ready to share it with the new generation of athletes.”
Usyk17 first started in 2020, but it was forced into shutting down amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Now it is back to add to Ukraine’s standing in the sport.
Names like Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko and Vasiliy Lomachenko are practically royalty in boxing, and Usyk is the latest to stand alongside those fighters.
Perhaps Usyk17 means the birth of more Ukrainian legends.
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