We are less than a week away from Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury, live on DAZN , and the DAZN Big Fight Countdown has reached day six.
Today, the focus is on the champion and his incredible six fight winning streak that saw him dominate the 2012-13 World Series of Boxing.
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Oleksandr Usyk was destined for major things as a professional after capturing Olympic gold at the 2012 games in London.
It appeared that the Ukrainian was about to switch to the paid code after success in England’s capital, but there was still some work to take care of as an amateur.
The World Series of Boxing was a new concept that was launched in 2010, and it saw amateur boxers compete in a professional environment.
There were no vests, fighters fought for teams, and there were no protective headguards. 5 x 3 minutes rounds would be the duration of the bouts, and it was intended to get new eyes on the amateur format of the sport thanks to its more mainstream approach.
Usyk was part of the Ukrainian Otamans team in the 2012-13 version, and he was ready to take on some of boxing’s big men in the 91+kg weight category.
In London, Usyk’s gold medal had been won at 91kg, so now he had to step up another weight class to see how he could cope with even bigger threats.
Although the big plan was to still turn professional at some point, Usyk was committed to the World Series of Boxing, and it showed throughout.
In his most high-profile contest in the competition, Usyk would face Britain’s Joe Joyce, a highly touted fighter who would controversially lose the 2016 Olympic final to Tony Yoka.
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Usyk conceded every physical advantage to Joyce, but his superior skillset combined with his experience allowed him to dominate on the scorecards.
As well as Joyce, Usyk would also have to overcome the size of Junior Fa and Magomedrasul Majidov, the latter a three-time world champion and Olympic bronze medallist.
Stoppage victories against Eric Brechlin and Matteo Modugno were also impressive, as was a points win over Mihai Mistor.
Usyk had long spoken about competing at heavyweight as a professional and he provided clear evidence here that he was comfortable competing with the biggest and best fighters his sport had to offer.
Usyk would turn professional in 2013 and five years later, after winning undisputed honours ay cruiserweight, he would begin his assault on the heavyweight division.
In 2021, Usyk would return to London, the scene of his Olympic glory, and defeat Anthony Joshua to become heavyweight champion.
His 6-0 record in the World Series of Boxing, a flawless one, proved to be the platform for Usyk to one day dominate the heavyweight landscape.
Watch Usyk vs. Fury 2 on DAZN PPV - Buy Now
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 and the full undercard will be broadcast live on DAZN Pay-Per-View worldwide in over 200 countries.
You can buy the PPV right now for £24.99 in the UK / $39.95 in the US, which comes with a seven day free trial of DAZN. For more information, prices in your region and to buy now, click here .
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