Oleksandr Usyk, WBA, WBO, IBF heavyweight champion of the world, told what role the Olympic gold medal plays in his career.
"I lost my first Olympics. In the second round. When I got home, I thought about ending my career or going into professional boxing. An old friend of mine said to me, 'Look, you're dreaming of a gold medal, aren't you?' I said, "Yeah." He, "But you don't have a gold medal." "No." "And you don't want to quit boxing." "Yes, I don't." "Please try again." As for the pro world championship belt... If you didn't become a champion this year, you can become one in five or six months, in a year. But not in four years! The Olympic Games are the highest achievement for me," Usik said in an interview with Sport Mail Boxing.
Watch this story: Usyk refused to give up the IBF championship belt