Usyk: "All Sparring Partners in the Last Two Camps Were Found Through Ready to Fight"

WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion (over 90.7 kg) and co-founder of Ready to Fight, Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs), discussed the directions he plans to develop with the platform.

– We are working with a team. It's the 21st century, and now both boxing and all sports, like the world, are advancing rapidly. There need to be new models for sports development. If we see phones, the internet, and other platforms, these are spaces for communication.

My team and I at Ready to Fight are doing everything to develop not just boxing, but also sports and finance. This is very important because none of it will work without a central core. Things need to change.

Everything from the Soviet Union – guys, that's outdated. When you have a 1.6 engine, and then you have 2-3, 6.7 engines – naturally, with a 6.7, you'll get where you need to go faster. So, teams need to be created to move in the right direction for growth, like a W12 minimum 6-liter engine.

I won't reveal all the secrets, but we have some agreements with global federations for the development of boxing – and this is an exclusively Ukrainian product. We've made it into the top ten Ukrainian products for development in 2024. That says something. It's about all Ukrainians. Funds shouldn't be spared for good work development.

– I watched your interview with Vladimir Kobelkov where you detailed how people can arrange sparring through the platform.

– All the sparring partners I had in the last two camps were found through the Ready to Fight platform. They reached out to us, proved useful, and we invited them. We provided opportunities to work, earn, and develop.

This is a great idea. Some international platforms are already reaching out to us for help in forming camps or handling financial matters. We have a team of about 85 people working not only in boxing but also encouraging others and helping Ukraine, for those who want to help without being deceived.

– So people in Europe are already afraid, but under your name, they are willing to give money?

– Yes, it's a reality. Some people are afraid to lose. They want to help but don’t want to be deceived. As an individual unit, I'm nothing without my team. My team is my strength, my head, and everything that happens to me. It’s a reality because most people say, 'Me, me, me, me, me.' In the end, it’s just the head of a gramophone.

– Does this business venture inspire you, the thought that it could take off into space?

– I'm inspired by the work of people. The fact that we could take off into space, I know that. In some sense, we are already in space. Seriously. But in our thoughts, we are on Earth. I'm inspired that this product can provide opportunities for the development of other sectors. It seems like we created a boxing product, but it helps not just athletes. It's interesting to everyone.

– You said that the Soviet system needs to be changed. So, you see that it no longer works?

– I've seen it for a long time and have been saying for a long time that we have too many people who turn to the past for help. The past doesn’t know what the future is – the past remains in the past. Every day something changes. We wake up every day – a day less for us, but a day more for the world. And that is progress, progress, progress.

You know what amazes me a little? When parents don't allow their children to use gadgets. They fall out of the system that predicts the future for them today. It hinders progress. They need to be allowed to develop, but they shouldn’t be allowed to plunge into the darkness of the internet.

The internet both gives and takes good things. But your task is to identify the good and the bad. It's about thinking, helping, people, and the team.