After dominating the cruiserweight division, Oleksandr Usyk quickly made his presence known at heavyweight. Spending time defending Ukraine between dominant wins, he is ready to maintain control over the division.
Usyk made his pro debut in 2013 after winning a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics. He won the WBO cruiserweight title in 2016, and in the 2017-18 World Boxing Super Series tournament he beat Marco Huck, Mairis Briedis for the WBC cruiserweight title, and Murat Gassiev in the final for the WBA, IBF, and The Ring cruiserweight titles. "The Cat's" lone defense as undisputed champion was a knockout win over Tony Bellew in 2018.
Usyk moved up to heavyweight in 2019. After beating Chazz Witherspoon and Derek Chisora, he beat Anthony Joshua in 2021 to become the WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight champion.
Putting his career on hold, Usyk returned to Ukraine and was one of several combat sports stars who decided to take up arms against Russian aggression. Following a few months home, Usyk faced Joshua in a rematch, beating the Brit in August 2022 via split decision.
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Now the world waits for a potential undisputed heavyweight title fight between Usyk and WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. At one point close to the finish line for an April matchup, boxing fans will have to remove hope from their vocabulary, as that bout has been nixed, for now. Usyk is ready to compete against anyone in his path, regardless if it's Fury or not.
The Sporting News looks into how Usyk has accumulated his fortune and where he stands among the wealthiest and most influential athletes in the world.
Oleksandr Usyk’s net worth: How much does Usyk make?
According to SPORTEKZ, Usyk's net worth is around $4 million.
Comparing him to other stars at heavyweight, Anthony Joshua has a net worth of about $80 million. Tyson Fury's net worth is about $65 million.
Oleksandr Usyk’s career earnings
Per SPORTEKZ, Usyk reportedly made $1.5 million in his heavyweight debut against Chazz Witherspoon. When he won the Muhammad Ali Trophy in the World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight final against Murat Gassiev, Usyk made $400,000. He made about $1 million against Tony Bellew to retain the undisputed cruiserweight titles.
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Usyk made about $4.1 million in the first Anthony Joshua fight, including an extra 40% of the pay-per-view share.
Per SportsZion and talkSPORT, the base money for the rematch was a 50-50 split, and Usyk earned $75 million against Joshua.
When negotiating with Tyson Fury, Usyk accepted a 70/30 purse split in favor or Fury. For a potential rematch, if Usyk wins the first fight, his team reportedly requested a 70/30 split in favor of him, which Fury's team refused.
Oleksandr Usyk’s endorsements
Usyk is endorsed by boxing apparel and equipment company BoxRaw.
Oleksandr Usyk’s social media influence
Usyk has about 592,000 followers on Facebook, where he has primarily discussed what is going on in Ukraine. He has about 1.8 million followers on Instagram and 154.7K followers on Twitter.
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Oleksandr Usyk charities
Usyk recently created the Oleksandr Usyk Foundation to "help Ukrainians affected by the Russian aggression."
The foundation will help cover the basic needs of Ukrainians affected by the current situation in the country, whether it is medical supplies, food or hygiene items.
When discussing terms for a fight with Tyson Fury, Usyk requested Fury donate £1 million to Ukraine.