Unified heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk has relaunched his boxing promotional company, Usyk17 Promotions, with a focus on discovering and developing new Ukrainian boxing stars. The company was initially launched in 2020 but was put on hold following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Usyk stated: 'Champions are formed long before titles. The path matters more than quick success. My incredible team and I have done tremendous work and gained invaluable experience on the road to my championship belts. And we are ready to share it with the new generation of athletes.'
The company plans to hold a major tournament in Kyiv this spring, featuring exclusively young, promising boxers from Ukraine and beyond. Usyk added: 'We are dedicated to helping these athletes achieve their goals and will do everything in our power to foster the growth of new champions in our country.'
Head of Team Usyk, Sergey Lapin, said: 'We don't just make fights – we tell stories.' Usyk has not fought since knocking out Daniel Dubois at Wembley last summer and gave up his WBO world title rather than face mandatory challenger Fabio Wardley. He has been linked with a fight against kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven.
