Oleksandr Usyk pays tearful tribute to late father after becoming undisputed heavyweight world champion

Once the immediate shock and joy at becoming the undisputed heavyweight world champion had subsided, Oleksandr Usyk’s thoughts turned to his late father who passed away in 2012.

Once the immediate shock and joy at becoming the undisputed heavyweight world champion had subsided, Oleksandr Usyk’s thoughts turned to his late father who passed away in 2012. As the Ukrainian recalled the last time he dreamt about his father in the press conference after defeating Tyson Fury, his words faltered and he grew tearful. “I miss my father and I said to him ‘you live there and I live here, please don’t come for me, I love you,’” he said, explaining that he hadn’t dreamt about him before this fight. “For me it is hard when my father comes back to me because I remember all life. I know he is here, maybe sitting out there,” he said, gesturing at the press room, wiping his eyes with his shirt and flexing his arms. Usyk, 37, became the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era after defeating Fury in a split decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday. He is the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis 25 years ago, the Briton winning all three belts available at that time. Two judges scored it 115-112 and 114-113 for Usyk, with the other scoring 114-113 in Fury’s favor. The victory saw Usyk adding the WBC title to his WBA, IBF and WBO belts.