Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk has defeated his Russian rival Murat Gassiev and won the title of undisputed world cruiserweight champion during the World Boxing Super Series final in Moscow on July 21.
The 31-year-old Usyk beat 24-year-old Gassiev after 12 intense rounds, winning on points based upon the judgment of all three members of the jury: 120-108, 119-109, 119-109.
As the winner of the World Boxing Super Series final, the Ukrainian athlete was personally awarded the Mohammad Ali trophy by Lonnie Ali, widow of the iconic American heavyweight champion.
Usyk has won championship belts from all four of the principal global boxing associations: the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Organization, International Boxing Federation, and World Boxing Association.
By defeating Gassiev, he also won the world champion title from The Ring magazine, an award given to top boxers of all weights since 1922.
Usyk and Gassiev’s meeting was supposed to take place in May in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but the match was eventually rescheduled for July 21 at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow.
“Today I have had the most difficult rival in my career,” Gassiev later commented on the fight, according to the iSport media outlet. “(Usyk) was a frontrunner from the very start, and he proved to be the best.”
Early on July 22, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko congratulated the Ukrainian boxer.
“I had not a second of doubt that (Oleksandr Usyk) would win!” the president wrote on Facebook. “The Ukrainian anthem that sounded from Moscow all over the world is a symbol of our struggle and our victory drawing nearer.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman wrote on Facebook that he would seek to award Usyk the title “Hero of Ukraine.”
Usyk devoted his victory to his deceased father and also to his trainers, saying that he learned to love boxing, won championships, and took home the gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London under their guidance.
Speaking of his future plans, the Ukrainian champion said he and his team would need to have a rest. But he also challenged Tony Bellew, a 35-year-old British fighter and a former WBC heavyweight champion, to a new fight.
Bellew answered quickly without a hint of hesitation.
“Usyk, I was born ready!” the British boxer wrote on his Twitter page. “Let’s get this done!”
