After winning the World Boxing Super Series, Alexander Usik has become one of the most popular and famous boxers in the world. The fight with Tony Belleu caused a huge stir and even for the reason that he was regarded as the last stage of preparation of the Ukrainian for the transition to the most prestigious weight category.
As a result, Usik knocked out an opponent in the eighth round. At the same time, the success of the Ukrainians was also noted in Russia, where Alexander is respected not only for his success in the ring, but also for his political correctness outside of him.
“I had no doubt that Usyk would win. He is a great fellow, congratulations to him. Of course, I thought that Alexander would win on points, but it turned out to be a good knockout, ”said Russian boxer Edward Troyanovsky to Sport-Express.
Former world welterweight world champion believes that Usik is currently one of the strongest boxers on the planet.
“He is now at the peak, experiencing such a rise. He is really cool. This is one of the best boxers - the absolute champion that speaks for itself, ”added Troyanovsky.
The performance of the Ukrainian athlete was noted by the famous Russian promoter Kirill Pchelnikov. According to him, he did not doubt Usyk’s success, but was pleasantly surprised by the form of his British opponent.
“It was a small discovery for me that Belieu would be so well prepared for this fight and make his plan a reality. I really enjoyed this fight, it was very interesting, ”the promoter admitted.
Another well-known promoter Vladimir Khryunov said that he feared that the British boxer could resort to dirty tricks during the fight with Usik.
“This confrontation had one historical factor - Kostya Tszyu and Ricky Hutton's duel took place on the same arena in Manchester in 2005 (Hutton won by TKO in the 11th round. - RT ). Therefore, even now there were concerns about possible manipulations with non-boxing things from the British side. But that did not happen. Times change. The fight was fair. Bellew showed the maximum, and Usyk once again confirmed his highest class, ”Hryunov said.
The successes of the Ukrainian athlete noted and the president of the World Boxing Council (WBC), Mauricio Suleiman. At the end of the fight with Bellew, he said that Usyk was the best fighter of 2018.
“He defeated Briedis, Gassiev and Belleu. And he did it on foreign territory. The barb is very strong physically and mentally. Tony also caused damage and was calm and patient, but then came a dramatic knockout, ”quotes the head of the organization RIA Novosti.
Also, Usik was congratulated by his old friend and celebrated boxer Vasily Lomachenko. In his report, he ironically quoted statements by some experts that Alexander did not have a knockout blow.
“Congratulations to Alexander Usik. "Unstressed" brother ", - wrote Lomachenko.
The Ukrainian boxer really never could boast of a puncher status, even despite 11 early victories in 15 fights. He scored a victory over Gassiev and Maris Briedis on points, which gave another reason to talk about his lack of a powerful blow. But in the battle with Bellew, he sent an opponent to the flooring. So, before the eighth round, the Briton led on the cards of two of the three judges, with one of them giving Tony three more rounds (68:65).
At the same time, Bellew himself, after defeating Usik, expressed great respect for his rival and announced his retirement from the sport.
“For the first time in my career I got tired. I do not know why this happened. He is fantastic, I am his fan. I said that I was his fan before the fight, I stayed with him after he beat me. I just want to disappear, be a normal person, live a normal life, that's all. You will never see me in the ring, ”Belleu quotes Tribuna.
But if the Briton decided to hang the gloves on a nail, then the Mustache’s career is at the most intriguing stage. According to Pchelnikov, the Ukrainian boxer “has nothing more to do in the first heavy weight,” and it is worth taking the last step on the way to the most prestigious category.
“Alexander became the absolute world champion in his weight. So now, probably, you need to go to a heavier division. Maybe it makes sense to arrange a rematch with Gassiev, but I don’t think it will change anything, ”Pchelnikov added.
At the same time, there has long been talk of a possible duel between Usik and Anthony Joshua. The fight between the absolute world champion in the first heavyweight and the holder of four titles in the heavy category will be the biggest event in the world of boxing. This was stated by British promoter Eddie Hearn.
“We will sit down with the team and talk about the next step. I think that Usyk will go to heavy weight, ”Hearn told the BBC.
At the same time, Alexander himself did not make far-reaching plans and noted that it was too early to talk about the future fight with Joshua.
“You should not rush into words. At the moment, I am interested in rest, I want to spend time with my children as much as possible, because this year was very successful and hard for me, ”said Usyk.
Promoter Alexander Krasyuk shared his plans for the future and said that the former light heavyweight champion Andre Ward could become a possible rival to Usik.
“We will not see Usik next year in Ukraine. The plans are two fights - either in England and in the USA, or both in England. If Andre Ward returns to the first heavy weight, you can think hard (about the future fight. - RT ), ”said Krasyuk.