Growing up in rural Ukraine, the son of a pair of converted farm workers, Oleksandr Usyk believed he was special. He shared in the family farm chores, milking cows, tending crops, selling fresh caught fish door-to-door. But he believed he was destined for more. Boxing came into his life early and success quickly followed. Amateur wins, an Olympic gold medal, a world title in his 10th pro fight. In 2018, he earned undisputed status at cruiserweight. Last May, he added another title, still, arguably, the coolest in sports: undisputed heavyweight champion.
Usyk is Sports Illustrated’s 2024 Fighter of the Year, with any would-be runners-up a distant second. Daniel Dubois had a brilliant year, stopping Filip Hrgović and Anthony Joshua. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez added another legend to his résumé when he stopped Juan Francisco Estrada, followed by a quick knockout of top challenger Pedro Guevara.
