Oleksandr Usyk reacted to the low-blow debate and the fight night in Poland. Usyk didn’t just climb into the ring last night; he hoisted the entire country of Ukraine on his shoulders, not to mention the expectations of boxing fans worldwide. It’s not just a fight; it’s a symbol of what one man can represent for his troubled country and his people. When a fighter becomes a symbol of national pride, what responsibility comes with that?
Speaking to Seconds Out TV, Usyk said: “When I was a kid, I was watching the fights on TV of Vladimir Klitschko… and now myself, I am, let’s say, have some connection to this. This morning I received a huge amount of messages with support from my countrymen, from people, famous people from all over the world. It was a tremendous event.”
The Low Blow
Usyk: “If you want to know what kind of pain it is, I need to hit you so you feel it, but I have no intention to do so because I have no intention to bring pain to people. You can go through the punch to the liver or to the belly, but when it goes a little bit lower, it’s like something is burning inside. Yeah, it just hurts; you just need to go through it and go further.”
The Fine Print of Fighting Fair
“People who say that this was a legal blow have either problems with the eyes or with the head. Especially the real fighters, the professional fighters, who should be knowing what’s going on. They definitely have some troubles with the brain because the rule says you cannot hit your opponent under the navel. If you hit, it is illegal.”
Mind Games in the Corner
“James [Ali Bashir] is a great person; he’s a famous trainer and a good man. But he couldn’t teach Dubois any secrets because he knows none of them… we worked together a long time; he couldn’t learn me as the personality. He still doesn’t know me as the personality; that’s why he couldn’t teach him any secrets that I have because he just doesn’t know them.”
The psychological warfare between corners is almost as engaging as the fight itself. With James Ali Bashir in Dubois’ corner, one might assume some strategic advantage. However, Usyk dispels that myth with a keen observation about the complexity of a fighter’s psychology.
Usyk vs. Fury
“It has to happen…the world has to know who is the best in the division, who owns all four belts. I think that he [Fury] claims he does, but his real will to fight is disappearing every coming day.”
Is it the build-up to the most awaited showdown in recent heavyweight history?
Usyk: “My message: Greedy belly, I love you.”
