THE SHADOWBOXER
The Ring: When I watched your fight with Fury, it was the first time I saw Fury have fear. It seemed his best chance to beat you was to come forward and risk the danger. He was not willing to fight that way. Did you sense or see that fear from Fury? Usyk: Don’t be afraid. I will not
The Ring: Did your father like that you became a boxer? As a soldier, what was his opinion of boxing? Usyk: He really liked the sport and he told me that I would become champion of the world, and I thought, “What is he talking about? How can I become world champion or professional?” The Ring: What did you think you would become? If you didn’t believe your father that you would become a world champion, what did you think you could accomplish? Usyk: My dad believed in me, but I didn’t believe in myself. The Ring: How were you able to do it? Muhammad Ali said even before he believed he was the greatest, he said he was. Usyk: Yes, when I started to box, maybe after six months or a year, he told me, “Try, and you will succeed.” And when I started to have success, then I started to believe in myself, not only because he told me … I started to dream, “Will I become European champion? Will I be Olympic champion? Will I become world champion? Then after that, I will become a professional!” After, I believed all of this, but initially I told him, “Are you joking? I’m going to play soccer.” I wanted to prove it to him that I can do it. The Ring: In War and Peace , Tolstoy talks about how in war, most people focus on the size of an army. But he says the true factor in victory is the spirit of the troops. You’re very famous for fighting somebody like Fury who towers over you and is much heavier and larger than you. Do you agree that the spirit of a boxer is at least as important as his skill, strength and speed? Usyk: Size doesn’t matter. If size mattered, the king of the animals would be the elephant. Not always does a bigger country win over a smaller country.
words are motivating them to study, to train for life. They are different. And I have to raise them differently. I waited! I waited for my father to say those words. I waited for my father to say those words, but he didn’t say it. And when he didn’t say it, it motivated me even more. But that’s the way he was, and for that I love him and I keep loving him for it. But I told myself that I would be a different dad. I just said it, and when I say something, I am not lying. The Ring: Do you believe if your father told you every day that he loved you, as you tell your own children, your life would have been different? Usyk: It would be more motivating. The Ring: Do you think most boxers are motivated by love, fear, or perhaps anger? I think the public imagines that most boxers have had difficult lives and it motivates them to be stronger. You’re saying that love in fact is the strongest motivator for you? Usyk: Of course, love is the strongest motivator. One hundred percent, love is the strongest motivator. And if that doesn’t help, you need more love. The Ring: How difficult has it been for you to fight so often as a road warrior, in front of so many of your opponents’ hometown crowds cheering them on? Or has it helped you in some way? Usyk: It is not difficult for me at all, because when I come into the territory of my opponent, that territory becomes mine. But I don’t capture this territory. I strictly make the people happy and then go home. The Ring: Is there a moment of adversity in your 372 fights as an amateur and professional that you’ve had that stands out for you? Usyk: Yes, it was when my father died. I wanted to quit boxing. But – I don’t remember who – one of my relatives told me that he wouldn’t like that and that he is watching you.
leave you alone, my friend. I didn’t see it, but l felt it.
The Ring: On some level do you see fighting as a game of chess with your opponents? Are you out-thinking them even more than your will power, and is what you’re fighting for stronger than your opponents? Usyk: Both. For many years I’ve said that I can only [outsmart opponents] in the ring. The Ring: What advice would you give a young boxer who watches you, now that you’ve inspired them to start boxing? How can they have a chance of following in your footsteps? Usyk: Think about the job and not the big money. I imagined, when I was boxing in the Olympics, I needed the gold medal. Even if it was made out of wood, the meaning was still first place. That’s gold, right? Even if they gave me a wooden medal, I would be satisfied. Imagine that your work is above all else. You will receive the dividends after the work is done. Only this should be in your head. Not how much you receive; it’s how much you achieve. The Ring: How important has your reputation as a man outside the ring been, compared to your achievements inside the ring? Usyk: Your reputation is very important both inside and outside of the ring. The Ring: Why do you think Mike Tyson at 58 years old, fighting a YouTube star like Jake Paul, is getting more attention than any of the great boxers fighting today from the public? Usyk: Because we are uneducated people.
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