OLEKSANDR USYK became the third London 2012 Olympic gold medallist to win a professional world title.
Usyk, who was part of the dazzling Ukrainian team that featured his friend Vasyl Lomachenko, won the WBO cruiserweight title from Poland’s Krzysztof Glowacki at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk.
Skilled Usyk unanimously outpointed the champion, a fellow southpaw, 117-111 for both Ferenc Budai and Mickey Vann. The Ukrainian won the world title in only his 10th contest. This was the first professional contest in which Usyk has had to go the distance.
He did it even more quickly than Anthony Joshua, another 2o12 Olympic champion, who won his heavyweight title in his 16th pro bout. Of course it only took the remarkable Lomachenko three fights to become a world champion, and seven to become a two-weight world titlist.
“I really rate [Usyk], he’s a good, good fighter. He’s very confident in what he does,” Dave Coldwell, the trainer of Tony Bellew, told Boxing News.
“I’ve seen quite a bit of him, I remember watching him against Joe Joyce [in the amateurs] and you think about how strong Joyce is, Usyk has him going backwards and in reverse gear. He’s got the strength to go with that flash style as well, because he is flash, he likes to put on a show but he’s not afraid to stand there and have a war as well. He’s definitely got all the tools.”
