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In the camp from Oleksandr Usyk: Behind the scenes with the heavyweight champion

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Gandia, Spain – Oleksandr Usyk has I did all this: belts, medals, fame and fortune.

He is a national hero in Ukraine. He has his “0” … he is undisputed in two divisions and is a golden Olympic medalist. But he still lives according to the motto of his band “Ready to fight”: “Never is never enough”. He wants more.

In the serene city of Gandia on the east coast of Spanish Usyk (23-0, 14 KO) continues to prosecute a larger history in another unquestioned heavyweight clash, this time against IBF master Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 Kos) 19 July 19 at the London Wembley Stadium stadium.

In the fight against Dubois, the Usyk training base was transformed from an aged rental store. That’s enough, but he has everything he needs. At the top there is a gym with a ring, several training bags, weights and assault bike. However, there are personal dotted accents.

Ukrainian flags, a poster with Spartan and a white concrete wall in which his team members wrote messages. Someone painted a cat in relation to the pseudonym Usyk.

On the one hand, in the brave pen: “Moskow 2018”, “Saudi 2024”; Two previous times he has been crowned the undisputed champion. At the top of the wall: “London 2025.” The band shows another glorious night.

At a lower level on another wall, which was painted in the blue -yellow flag of Ukraine, the word “unquestioned” shines from a huge neon sign. More manifestations.

TV screens show material from various fights to a continuous loop. The first fight between Usyk and Dubois – which Utyk won through the knockout in August 2023 – and also aged Dubois has been burning the screen for years. Everything in the aged store is directed to the task.

At the bottom there is a wide open space in which people can relax. There are TVs and PlayStation that Utyk likes to play during downtime.

There is a pending buzz of activity in which his team members deal with their activities; Sorting logistics before fighting or helping media members, while some watch Usyk-Dubois 1, discussing what they see.

Two sons of Usyk, Mykhailo and Kyrylo, time passes idly while their dad trains intensively. They miss their mother and sisters who are still in Ukraine.

Alternating boys, shooting basketball at a fleeting rim, which was brought to them and kick football against the wall when they try to kill boredom. From time to time, they stop looking at their dad or the media contingent who joined them for the whole day. They do not do much confusion in everything and are busy, sometimes going upstairs to the gym to sneak out the action.

The full size of their father’s size may not surprise yet. One day they will know. For now, he is simply their dad, with whom they have to go to work on Saturday morning.

Usyk and Counthman Lithe Heavyweight Daniel Lapin – hailed as another boxing star of Ukraine – running down the curved stairs that leads to the gym, getting a little cardio.

Their days start at 6 am from the first session. Usyk will do two or three in total depending on the day. It is essential that the training varies. Running, swimming, cycling, tennis, mental training and cognitive tests, as well as a sparring of all shapes.

At the gym, two Ukrainian boxers make moves of what they consider to be a “lighter” gym and strength training session, but it is explosive. Quick skipping circuit, assault bicycle sprints, weights, kettlebell exercises and body weight procedures, as well as an excruciating exercise in which Usyk performs a sit-up, throwing a gigantic medical ball on the wall.

For ordinary mortals, it seems at least intimidating.

Has he ever thought he would prefer to enjoy the loot of his success?

“Every day I have moments during training, when I want to be on the beach with my wife, holding a bottle in my hand,” says Eyk.

But sparring dominates in the schedule; He spends about 60% of his week in the ring in early June.


Today is Routine of strength and power. Thanks to the sweat from his torso, his purple sleeveless shirt changed several shades darker than the lightweight lavender that began the day.

There is a few minutes of skipping without losing the rhythm, making it so effortless. Only moving in the shade and dances stop its metronomic rhythm. Ukrainian techno music goes and keeps the climate high in the next day on the cut. The verbal communication between the involved people is restricted, but the process is trouble -free.

“Listen, mom, I can fly,” says Usyk to Lapin, when his turn is coming to jump, encouraging his protected one. Quick breath and this is next. Changing the assault bike.

“Once again!” The coach of strength and condition Jakub Chycki screams.

“Listen, mom, I can fly,” says Usyk again. This time it pushes the screaming muscles to continue. At this point, Chycki knows that the master feels it.

“[Usyk] It always has a lot of energy, but it is usually a mask – says Chycki. “He is tired, he is simply human. Of course, [he’s] superhuman. I usually call him “homosapien athleticus”. It’s amazing. But now there is a very arduous time for him. “

The session ends with a moment of serene reflection when the heart rate of the master falls. He will kiss the crucifix, which got stuck in the chest later. “Today … Enough,” says Usyk. “But never enough.”

He can be a heavyweight champion, but Usyk still wipes the surfaces and packs the equipment after training, is proud of miniature things and making sure that everything is ready for the next session. Post sweat from a shirt in a bucket and carefully folds it.

Before going down the stairs, he turns and bows to the prayer pinned to the weighing stand before it disappears from the shower.


The data is a king During a training camp. Chycki, called “Brains Behind”, is also a university professor and has a eternal stream of information that he collects from every session. Everything from Usyk’s aerobic ability to brain monitoring during sparrings.

The band “Ready to Fight” (RTF) also analyzes everything meticulously, both in Usyk and Dubois.

RTF became a co -founder of Usyk and a childhood friend, general director Sergey Lapin. The company will work in parallel with Dubois from Queensberry and will expand its platform to various aspects of the boxing world, from data analysis for warriors to matching them to sparring partners.

The fight record, struggle statistics and lots of physical attributes are included. The idea appeared after the Sparring partner of Usyk failed to one day at the camp. From there, Usyk and Lapin have developed a company and want it to expand to influence all levels of sport.

But their main goal is Dubois now.

“Our analytical department is looking for various fights, try to find weaknesses, strengths to gather information to work on them and give the team the right analytics so that they can see how they can affect future fights,” says Espn Sergey Lapin.

Are the data not a very secret weapon for the Utyk?

“Yes, of course,” says Lapin. “Do you have a car? That’s good for you. You have a bike [as well]But the car is better. We now have a very good car. “

Usyk willingly helps to develop RTF after his career, which he admitted that he was approaching to the end. He will undoubtedly take a well -deserved break when it ends, but also fights, like many elite athletes to sit still too long. Two weeks after the second victory over the Fury, come from his wife and wanted to go back to the gym.

“I think about my life every day,” says Usyk ESPN. “Every day I think about what I will do after my professional career. Every day I wonder what I will do … and I have a few plans. I think I will play a little football.”

Usyk was an avid player when he was youthful, but the box is in his soul. He wants to facilitate the next generation of Ukrainian fighters. He says that one day he wants to train the world champion.

For now, he ends his ends with his valued career.

There is a larger, better dubois.

Another chance for the undisputed, so his manifestation can be cut out in historical books, not just the wall of his gym.

He approaches lying on the beach with a bottle of something, but he has not yet finished.

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Derek Chisora ​​makes his feelings clear about Conor Benn leaving Eddie Hearn for Zuffa

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Derek Chisora makes his feelings clear on Conor Benn leaving Eddie Hearn for Zuffa

Derek Chisora ​​has shared his opinion on Conor Benn leaving Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and joining Dana White’s Zuffa promotion.

When it was announced last month, it was a huge shock Benn has parted ways with longtime promoter Hearn to join forces with the modern upstart company Zuffa, headed by UFC boss White.

Benn spent his entire career at Matchroom up to 2016, going through many ups and downs during that decade, including the infamous failed drug tests and two epic fights with Chris Eubank Jr last year.

He returns to action when he faces Regis Prograis in a 150 catchweight bout on April 11 at Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov, for which he will reportedly receive a purse worth $15 million.

It is because of this number that heavyweight contender Chisora ​​has no objection to Benn leaving Hearn. saying Playbook Boxing that his compatriot did the right thing.

“We both know the saying: If you want to be steadfast, you buy what? A dog. I’m not steadfast. No one is steadfast when someone comes along and says, ‘You know what?’ I will give you this much money. Come with me.”

“Let’s not try to tell ourselves that what this teenage man did was so bad. He made a good deal. If he turns it down, you’ll think, ‘Oh, you’re fools. Why did you turn it down? Oh, you’re steadfast to Eddie.’ No, fuck it, man.

Chisora ​​must prepare for his own fight next month when he faces former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder at the O2 Arena on April 4.

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Jazza Dickens: “I finally got a chance when no one believed in me”

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WHAT JERSEY DOES What do Joe Walcott, Archie Moore and James “Jazza” Dickens have in common?

All three have shown incredible resilience on their journey from their professional debut to winning the world title. It took Walcott (heavyweight) 21 years in 1951, Moore (lithe heavyweight) 17 years in 1952, and Dickens (junior lightweight) 14 years and 319 days.

Dickens added his name to the list of boxers who have the longest time to win their first world title since their professional debut, when he was promoted from interim WBA champion to full world champion in December after Lamont Roach was stripped of his world title belt.

Dickens (36-5, 15 KO), 34, of Liverpool, will step into the ring as a world champion on Saturday for his first defense against Northern Ireland’s Anthony Cacace (24-1, 9 KO), 37, at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Dickens, who traveled from his training base in Dubai after the region was bombed, was scheduled to face Japan’s Hayato Tsutsumi at the Mohammed Abdo Arena in Saudi Arabia in December, but was canceled due to Tsutsumi’s injury.

While there are similarities to Cacace’s blossoming career (he stopped Joe Cordina at age 35 to win the IBF junior lightweight title), Dickens’ story is very different from that of superstar world champions like Oleksandr Usyk, Naoya Inoue and Ryan Garcia.

Dickens had to work challenging without the support of his main promoter, struggling with knockout defeats, passivity and boxing politics. His career was very different from the attention and wealth enjoyed by his fellow Englishmen Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Conor Benn.

At times, Dickens wondered whether his career would ever reach the same heights as it did in 2016, when he challenged Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux for the WBA junior featherweight world title and was stopped slow in the second round with a broken jaw.


BUT Dickens has changed his career in 2025. First came a 10-round points victory over Zelfa Barrett, before Dickens knocked out Russia’s Albert Batyrgaziev, the 2021 Olympic gold medalist, in the 4th round to win the interim WBA junior lightweight title in Turkey.

“There were times when I thought, ‘What is this all about?’ When things were really challenging,” Dickens told ESPN.

“I believe if you listen, God is teaching you, but I wondered, ‘What are you trying to teach me?’ sometimes. I’m glad I was patient all these years because I finally got a chance when no one believed in me. The most significant thing that happened was the opportunities, that’s why I’m here now as a world champion.”

“These opportunities came when people thought I had had enough. When I got knocked out [Hector Andres] Sauce [in July 2023]people thought I was finished. There were a lot of things going on behind the scenes leading up to this fight, but I got knocked out and it didn’t look good.

“People thought I was done after that fight, and Batyrgaziev thought it would be an straightforward fight against me, but I went out there and dominated.”


JUST LIKE THE RING the legends of Moore and Walcott, Dickens showed unwavering perseverance in pursuing his goal.

Dickens, who has won four fights since his last defeat, has repeatedly rebuilt his career. After being stopped by Kid Galahad in 2013, Dickens suffered back-to-back losses to Rigondeaux and Thomas Patrick Ward in 2016 and 2017. After another loss to Galahad in 2021 and a crushing loss to Sosa, Dickens started 2025 far from world title contention.

“I joined my coach Albert Aryrapetyan a year ago and moving to Dubai to train has been a key part of my career,” Dickens told ESPN.

“He was the only person who answered me when I needed a coach. The phone didn’t ring, no one wanted to know, but since I became champion, he hasn’t stopped calling. We joined forces before the fight with Barrett, and Albert put together a good game plan for that fight and for the fight with Batyrgaziev.

“Since those defeats against Rigondeaux and Galahad, I always go to the gym, trying to get better, trying to develop, that hasn’t changed. What has changed? Perhaps I have grown mentally, as happens with age in any sport or job.”

After completing one of the longest world title journeys in boxing history, Dickens also now manages boxers under the banner of Integrity Boxing Management with Mitchell Walsh.

“We called it honesty boxing because there’s not a lot of honesty in boxing,” Dickens told ESPN.

“We don’t do this for a fee, it’s my pleasure and my reward is seeing the smiles on the faces of the boxers and their families.”

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Eddie Hearn says Turki Alalshikh will expect more from Zuffa Boxing

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Image: Turki Alalshikh unlikely impressed by Zuffa boxing shows, says Hearn

Promoter Matchroom has suggested that the acts staged so far will struggle to meet the standards set by Alalshikh with the season’s events in Riyad, which feature headline fights, packed houses and global attention.

“He’ll be sitting there watching Zuffa perform and he won’t be very impressed,” Hearn told Ariel Helwani while discussing the current boxing landscape.

Hearn explained that Alalshikh’s expectations for boxing highlights are based on recognizable fighters, sturdy cards and an atmosphere usually associated with stadium cards. The Saudi emphasis on boxing has placed an emphasis on major fights between top fighters, gigantic venues and international distribution that puts the sport in front of a global audience.

“He loves substantial shows. He loves substantial fights. He loves deep cards, substantial names, sold out stadiums and the buzz of boxing,” Hearn said, describing Alalshikh’s approach to the sport.

The Saudi official played a key role in the recent series of high-profile boxing events surrounding the Riyad season, many of which featured top champions and challengers from multiple divisions. These cards included major heavyweight and other title fights that attracted worldwide attention.

Zuffa had only recently entered the boxing industry, and its early events were held on a smaller stage than many of the season’s events in Riyad. Several shows were held in smaller venues and focused on brand building rather than staging major title fights.

Hearn believes the difference will remain noticeable as the project continues to develop and try to establish itself in the sport. In his opinion, the early cards had not yet matched the scale and depth of the events that had become common during the Riyad Season era.

For Hearn, the standards for major boxing events are already clear and any fresh promotion entering this space will ultimately be judged against them. From his perspective, early Zuffa cards simply hadn’t reached that level yet.

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