Oleksandr Usyk considered giving up boxing after losing first amateur fight, but Evander Holyfield story changed his mind
Oleksandr Usyk is one of the greatest fighters to have ever graced the squared circle. The Ukrainian slickster will go down as a first-ballot Hall of Famer regardless of what happens during the final stretch of his career. Usyk won everything there was to win as an amateur yet he lost his first fightGETTY As an amateur, he won gold medals at the European Championship, World Championship, and the Olympic Games while as a professional he is one of only three male fighters in the four-belt era to achieve undisputed status in two different weight classes. However, he may never have achieved any of this were it not for a pep talk from his father after losing his first ever amateur fight. Usyk considered giving up the sport following the defeat but upon hearing from his dad that Evander Holyfield had suffered the same fate in his maiden bout, he gave it another shot. “I lost my first fight. [It felt] bad,” Usyk told the Ring Podcast. “I thought ‘Wow, I am not a good boxer’. “My coach said, ‘Hey don’t worry, next time you will win’. “I said, ‘Maybe not, maybe I will stop’ because I lost. “I get home, I tell my father, ‘Hey, I lost’. [He says] ‘Okay, no problem, try again.’ “‘You know Evander Holyfield?’ Then my father told me a story about Evander Holyfield. “And I said ‘Yeah, I’ll try again’. And two months later I won. “It wasn’t a big competition, it was a local competition in Crimea but when I won, oh my God. Usyk became undisputed champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight as a proGetty “I thought ‘Yes, I can’. I had a medal, I go home [and show my] papa. “[He said] ‘Alex, congratulations, good’. I remember my father went to the shop and got cake. “We did not often eat cake, but he got cake.” Holyfield and Usyk have had remarkably similar careers. Both became undisputed champions in the cruiserweight division, before moving up to boxing’s glamour division to do the same. And like Usyk, Holyfield also nearly walked away from boxing before his career had got going following back-to-back losses to a young boy named Cecil Collins. Holyfield is also is a two-weight undisputed champion at cruiserweight and heavyweightGETTY “When I lost my first fight at 11 years old, I quit,” he explained. “My mama said that I had to go back because she didn’t raise a quitter. “I lost my second fight [to Collins again], and I quit. She made me go back and try once again.” Eventually, when they met for a third time, Holyfield conquered Collins. He returned home and proudly told his mother, who said she was now happy for him to stop boxing. His response: “I don’t wanna quit anymore!” Follow talkBOXING on social media talkBOXING is now on Twitter and Facebook. Follow us on social media for big breaking boxing news, exclusive interviews and the best bits from our talkBOXING YouTube show. Like our Facebook page HERE Follow us on Twitter HERE Sign up for our WhatsApp channel HERE
Oleksandr Usyk is one of the greatest fighters to have ever graced the squared circle.
The Ukrainian slickster will go down as a first-ballot Hall of Famer regardless of what happens during the final stretch of his career.
As an amateur, he won gold medals at the European Championship, World Championship, and the Olympic Games while as a professional he is one of only three male fighters in the four-belt era to achieve undisputed status in two different weight classes.
However, he may never have achieved any of this were it not for a pep talk from his father after losing his first ever amateur fight.
Usyk considered giving up the sport following the defeat but upon hearing from his dad that Evander Holyfield had suffered the same fate in his maiden bout, he gave it another shot.
“I lost my first fight. [It felt] bad,” Usyk told the Ring Podcast. “I thought ‘Wow, I am not a good boxer’.
“My coach said, ‘Hey don’t worry, next time you will win’.
“I said, ‘Maybe not, maybe I will stop’ because I lost.
“I get home, I tell my father, ‘Hey, I lost’. [He says] ‘Okay, no problem, try again.’
“‘You know Evander Holyfield?’ Then my father told me a story about Evander Holyfield.
“And I said ‘Yeah, I’ll try again’. And two months later I won.
“It wasn’t a big competition, it was a local competition in Crimea but when I won, oh my God.
“I thought ‘Yes, I can’. I had a medal, I go home [and show my] papa.
“[He said] ‘Alex, congratulations, good’. I remember my father went to the shop and got cake.
“We did not often eat cake, but he got cake.”
Holyfield and Usyk have had remarkably similar careers.
Both became undisputed champions in the cruiserweight division, before moving up to boxing’s glamour division to do the same.
And like Usyk, Holyfield also nearly walked away from boxing before his career had got going following back-to-back losses to a young boy named Cecil Collins.
“When I lost my first fight at 11 years old, I quit,” he explained.
“My mama said that I had to go back because she didn’t raise a quitter.
“I lost my second fight [to Collins again], and I quit. She made me go back and try once again.”
Eventually, when they met for a third time, Holyfield conquered Collins.
He returned home and proudly told his mother, who said she was now happy for him to stop boxing.
His response: “I don’t wanna quit anymore!”
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