Paris 2024: Oleksandr Usyk To Award Prize Money To Ukrainian Boxers

Boxers from Ukraine competing in the Paris Olympics will be motivated to win medals because Oleksandr Usyk, the former undisputed heavyweight champion, has promised to personally provide prize money to them if they manage to achieve a podium finish.

Ukraine has three boxers competing in Paris Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Oleksandr Khyzhniak, Aider Abduraimov and Dmytro Lovchynskyi — and Usyk has been doing his best to provide them support at the Games.

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“He helps our boxers a lot, in different ways. He supports them financially. He helps them with money,” Ukraine coach Dmitry Sosnovsky told Reuters after middleweight Khyzhniak’s win over Hungarian Pylyp Akilov on Tuesday.

“He told them that if they win medals at the Olympic Games, he will give the prize money by himself. From his pocket.

“He’ll give them money for bronze, for silver and for gold. He said for first place it will $80,000, for the second place, the silver medal, $70,000. And the bronze is $50,000.”

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Usyk, who holds the WBC, WBO, and WBA titles, also achieved Olympic glory by securing a gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 2012 London Games.

Usyk, 37, was at the North Paris Arena to support super heavyweight Lovchynskyi in his knockout defeat to Australian Teremoana Junior on Monday.

“He was here on Monday and he went to the dressing room, before the fight, he went to say that everything will be okay,” Sosnovsky said.

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“With each boxer he has tried to give them advice for their fights. He tried to inspire them.”

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PHOTO CREDIT: Getty