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.
