Reigning WBO, WBA, IBF heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk told how his late father only once in his life said he loved him.
"After winning in London, I called my father and started shouting, "Yes! We won! Dad!" My father said to me, "I congratulate you, son. I love you." My father never told me he loved me. That stayed in my memory as something special. I tell my children every single day that I love them! Every day! Because these people are my strength. I know why my dad was like that. He grew up in the USSR. Many old people living in Ukraine do not say to their spouses, to their children, "I love you." There are no smiles, no kisses, no warmth. I don't know why. These people are like steel," Usik said in an interview with Mail Sport Boxing.
