‘I have a contract’ – Oleksandr Usyk lifts lid on shock career change plans after boxing retirement
Oleksandr Usyk plans to swap his boxing gloves for football boots when he eventually calls time on his legendary career.
The unified heavyweight champion has a deep love for football and trained with Ukraine’s Tavriya Simferopol as a teenager before switching to boxing.
In 2022, he came on as a substitute for Ukrainian Premier League team FC Polissya in a friendly match against Veres and he now hopes to make his professional debut for the side once he retires from boxing.
When Usyk last donned Polissya’s yellow jersey, Imad Ashur’s men were playing in the second tier of the Ukrainian football pyramid, but the club has since clawed its way up to the top flight.
At the time, Usyk promised that if the team got promoted, he would sign for them on a professional deal and, true to his word, that is exactly what he did.
“[I will be a] football player,” Usyk told the Ring Podcast when asked what he will do when he hangs up his gloves.
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“I am a professional player. I have a contract with the Ukrainian team, Polissya.
“[They play in the] highest league, Polissya. It is a Ukrainian team.
“We are now in first place. Do you know the Ukrainian team, Shakhtar Donetsk? Today Polissya won [against them].
“Listen, I support for a long time Dynamo Kyiv because the first time I went to the professional stadium [with my dad].
“It is a club with a lot of history but Polissya gave me the opportunity and I signed a contract.
“But in the future, I will score a goal [against Dynamo].”
Usyk has won everything there is to win in professional boxing.
In May, he became one of only three boxers in the four-belt era to achieve undisputed status in two different weight classes by defeating Tyson Fury at heavyweight to follow up his wild successes at cruiserweight.
Several members of the boxing fraternity expected him to retire in December when he beat Fury again in their much-anticipated sequel.
However, Usyk insists he will box on.
The Ukrainian slickster is expected to fight the winner of Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker‘s upcoming IBF heavyweight title fight next.
Usyk was forced to relinquish the red and gold strap in June in order to pursue a rematch with Fury.
As a result, Dubois was elevated from ‘interim’ to full world champion.
If Usyk can beat whoever emerges out of Dubois and Parker on February 22, then he will be the undisputed heavyweight champion once again.