Oleksandr Usyk is one of boxing’s finest sportsmen of all time.
Usyk defeated Tyson Fury to become the first unified champion of the heavyweight division since 1999 before beating the ‘Gypsy King’ a second time around.
Additionally, the Ukrainian has beaten Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, cementing himself as one of boxing’s best heavyweights of all time.
Like many other fighters and sports stars, Usyk has pre-fight traditions. One of those in recent years has seen him bring a Disney teddy to some of his recent bouts and there’s a heartwarming reason behind why.
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Oleksandr Usyk always arrives to boxing fights with the same Disney teddy
Ahead of his first fight with Fury, Usyk was spotted arriving at the Riyadh Arena with an Eeyore Disney character teddy.
The Winnie the Pooh character is symbolic to Usyk as it brings him and his family closer together.
Speaking to The Sun in 2022, he said: “It’s my daughter’s. She gave it to me to be my talisman. We bought it when we were all together in Disneyland Paris.
“When we left Ukraine together but our roads separated in Europe, my daughter gave this toy to me and said, ‘This needs to be right next to you’.
“It sleeps with me, is always close to me and she told me to take it to my media event.”
Oleksandr Usyk’s incredible boxing record
Now 38, Usyk has seen it all in boxing and is also a two-weight unified champion in the cruiserweight and heavyweight division.
In fact, he is only the third male boxer in history to complete this feat alongside Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue.
| Fights | 23 |
| Fights won | 23 |
| Fights won by KO | 14 |
The southpaw has fought 23 times and maintains a 100 per cent win record – a remarkable achievement for anyone.
Over half of those wins have come via knockout, only strengthening his claim as one of the best heavyweights of all time.