What Is Oleksandr Usyk's Net Worth?
Oleksandr Usyk is a Ukrainian professional boxer who has a net worth of $35 million. Oleksandr Usyk has held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the unified heavyweight titles since 2021. He has also held the International Boxing Organization title since 2021 and was the undisputed cruiserweight champion from 2018 to 2019. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Ukrainian boxers of all time. Oleksandr's largest career payday to date is the $45 million he was guaranteed for fighting Tyson Fury on March 18, 2024, a fight he won in a split decision. By defeating Tyson Fury, Usyk became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Early Life
Oleksandr Usyk was born on January 17, 1987 in Simferopol, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. His parents were originally from northern Ukraine with his mother being born in the Chernihiv region and his father a native of Sumy. His mother worked in construction and moved to Simferopol to study, while his father was a military man who later worked as a security guard. Usyk grew up with his two younger siblings. Until the age of 15, he played soccer and trained at the SC Tavriya Simferopol, a specialized sports school. In 2002, he switched his athletic focus to training in boxing. After high school, he attended Lviv State University of Physical Culture.
Career
As an amateur boxer, Usyk competed in the 2006 European Championships. He won his first three matches but lost in the semi-final to Matvey Korobov. By 2008, he was boxing in the light-heavyweight class and won the Strandja Cup. In February of that year, Oleksandr moved up another weight class and was sent to the Olympic qualifier, where he defeated world-class boxers Azeri Elchin Alizade and Daniel Price. He dropped back down to light-heavyweight and won gold at the 2008 European Championships. He again moved back up to heavyweight over the next few years and managed to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Usyk won the gold medal. He then retired from amateur boxing and turned professional in late 2013 at the age of 26. He signed a promotional deal with the Klitschko brothers brand, K2 Promotions, and initially fought in the cruiserweight division. Oleksandr made his professional debut on November 9, 2013, by defeating Mexican fighter Felipe Romero via a fifth-round knockout. He won his first title by the following year and quickly began rising up in the ranks of professional boxing. By 2016, he was ranked number one by the World Boxing Organization.
(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
In June 2016, Usyk secured the WBO cruiserweight title by defeating Polish boxer Krzysztof Glowacki. He defended the title against South African boxer Thabiso Mchunu later that year. Oleksandr continued boxing well over the next couple years. In 2018, he had his most successful year yet and was the undisputed cruiserweight champion.
In 2019, he announced his intention to move up to heavyweight. His heavyweight debut was announced in October of that year, and he defeated his opponent, Chazz Witherspoon. In 2020, Usyk fought former world title challenger Derek Chisora and won. In 2021, he fought Anthony Joshua and produced an upset, though many fans and pundits had doubted Usyk would be able to win. With the win, Usyk became the unified heavyweight champion. Usyk defended his title against Joshua in a rematch the following year. In 2023, Usyk defended his unified heavyweight titles against Daniel Dubois in Poland. In the 21 fights that he has participated in as a professional, Usyk has won all 21. He won seven of the fights by decision and the other 14 by knockout.
In 2023, Usyk signed a one-year professional contract with the Ukrainian Premier League soccer team FC Polissya Zhytomyr. He had previously made a substitute appearance for the club in a friendly game in February 2022. He has stated that he intends to play soccer once he retires from boxing.
2024 Tyson Fury Fight
On March 18, 2024, Oleksandr fought Tyson Fury. Fury was guaranteed $100 million. Oleksandr was guaranteed $45 million. Ultimately Oleksandr defeated Fury by split decision.
Personal Life
Usyk married his wife, Yekaterina, in 2009. They have three children together and live in Kyiv, Ukraine. His wife has Russian citizenship, and the family speaks Russian as their main language. On April 28, 2014, after the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, Usyk declared he would never exchange his Ukrainian citizenship for Russian citizenship. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Oleksandr has continued voicing his support for Ukraine. He traveled to Ukraine early on in the war to join the country's territorial defense forces along with a few other fellow Ukrainian boxers.
Usyk is an Orthodox Christian. He is also the co-founder and brand ambassador of Ready to Fight, an international blockchain platform whose mission is to make building a boxing career easier and more accessible by creating effective connections between athletes, managers, agents, doctors, and other specialized professionals.
