The Ukrainian champion celebrated the defense of his championship belts in a very symbolic way.
WBC, WBO, WBA and IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk told how after his victory over Tyson Fury in he picked up the original sabre of Hetman Ivan Mazepa in the ring in the rematch.
According to the Ukrainian boxer, it was an honor for him.
See also: “Usyk with Mazepa's sabre is just a rip”: social media reaction to the Ukrainian's victory over Fury
“A real sabre of the outstanding Ukrainian hetman Ivan Mazepa. It was an honor for me to hold in my hands a unique artifact that is more than 300 years old.
For centuries, Russia has been defaming the name of Hetman Mazepa. Now it will return to the world media space and receive the recognition it deserves. Everything is just beginning!” Usyk wrote on his Instagram, posting a photo with Mazepa's sabre.
It should be noted that Hetman Mazepa's saber was made at the end of the 17th century. It is kept in Ukraine and was brought to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, specifically for Usyk's fight. Its presentation is an important step in cultural diplomacy.
On the night of December 22, Usyk defeated Fury by unanimous decision (three times 116-112) and defended his WBA, WBO, WBC and IBO heavyweight titles.
See also: “To hell with computers”: Fury was outraged by the result of the fight against Usyk from a judge with artificial intelligence
Now Usyk's track record includes 23 wins (14 by knockout) in 23 fights. He spent seven of them in the heavyweight division. Before that, Alexander became the absolute world champion in the cruiserweight (weight category up to 90.7 kg), having won all four of the most prestigious belts there.
It was previously reported that Fury did not admit defeat to Usyk, disagreeing with the judges' verdict. The Ukrainian boxer reacted categorically to these words of the “Gypsy King”.
On our website you can watch videos of the best moments of the rematch between Usyk and Fury, as well as bright photos of the fight.
Unlike the first fight, in the Usyk-Fury rematch the title of absolute world champion was not at stake, since Alexander had previously renounced the IBF title. Now it is owned by the Briton Daniel Dubois, who has already managed to defend it by knocking out his compatriot Anthony Joshua.
Recall that on the night of May 19, 2024, Usyk defeated Fury by split decision in a fight for the title of absolute world heavyweight champion. At the end of the ninth round, Alexander knocked his opponent down. The Ukrainian became the first absolute world heavyweight champion in the 21st century.