‘Happy’ Oleksandr Usyk to take a break after nine months of sacrifices pay off

Oleksandr Usyk will switch off from boxing after proving he is the best heavyweight of his generation by outpointing Tyson Fury in Riyadh.

Usyk emerged from a shaky sixth round to finish strongly against Fury, who was desperately close to being stopped in the ninth with only the ropes and bell coming to his rescue.

The remarkable Ukrainian now holds the distinction of becoming just the second fighter alongside Evander Holyfield to be crowned undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight champion.

“I don’t want to think about boxing now,” said Usyk, who arrived for the post-fight press conference with his daughter Yelizaveta’s Eeyore cuddly toy.

“My camp started in September 2023 and I worked for nine months. I missed Happy New Year, I missed my son’s birthday, I missed my other son’s birthday, I missed my daughter’s birthday and then the birth of my daughter.

“I also missed family holidays. I was only focused on this fight. Now I’m happy and I want to go back home.”

But there is no questioning his place at the summit of the division after relentlessly pursuing Fury across 12 gripping rounds, defying the disadvantage of conceding almost three stones in weight and six inches in height to topple the bigger man.

The 37-year-old made a brief hospital visit for a scan on an injury his promoter Alex Krassyuk declined to specify amid suggestions he had broken his jaw, but he later returned to the Kingdom Arena to give a press conference.

“I miss my father. I said to him ‘you live there and I live here, please don’t come for me, I love you’,” Usyk said.

“For me it’s hard when my father comes back to me because I remember all life. I know he is here.”