The pride of Ukraine, Oleksandr Usyk, is ready to defend his unified status in his rematch against Tyson Fury on December 21 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. ‘The Cat’ shocked the world when he defeated Fury in May and now he would like to achieve the same accolade.

The 37-year-old has a spotless career with an undefeated record of 22-0 and undisputed championships in two weight divisions. While the record is a testament to the Ukrainian’s resilience and discipline, it would not have been possible without the support and dedication of his team. So, before the biggest fight of his career, let’s take a look at the people behind Usyk’s success.

Who manages Oleksandr Usyk?

Oleksandr Usyk has a long-standing partnership with Egis Klimas, who has risen through the depths of hell to become one of the best managers in the boxing world today. Klimas moved to the United States 30 years ago and has done all kinds of odd jobs. From a pizza box maker to a crab fisherman, to became the Manager of the Year from the Boxing Writers Association of America in 2016.

Klimas has been instrumental in Usyk’s success in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. The Russian immigrant has a sensational resume with the likes of Vasiliy Lomachenko, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Sergey Kovalev, and Janibek Alimkhanuly fighting under him.

Furthermore, Alex Krassyuk serves as Usyk’s promoter. Krassyuk is involved in Crimea natives’ every major fight and has played a significant role in shaping Usyk into the star he is today. Let’s move on and explore the details of Usyk’s training team.

Meet Sergey Lapin, Oleksandr Usyk’s trainer

‘The Cat’ currently trains under Sergey Lapin, a childhood friend and a long-time member of Usyk. Even before taking the official coaching role, Lapin served as an analyst within the Ukrainian’s camp. It was Lapin’s meticulous and analytical approach that made him the perfect fit to be Oleksandr Usyk’s coach when needed, and it came after years of developing trust and camaraderie.

While Lapin has been instrumental in the unified heavyweight champion’s recent success, he can’t get all the credit. Usyk has had several trainers throughout his career and every one of them has been responsible for his success.

Oleksandr Usyk started his career training under Anatoly Lomachenko, the veteran trainer and father of another Ukrainian boxing star Vasiliy Lomachenko. This partnership played a pivotal role in shaping the 37-year-old’s boxing style during his amateur days, and a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics is proof of that. With Lomachenko Sr. primarily focused on training his son, Usyk deemed it perfect to part ways and work with other trainers. He worked with the likes of James Ali Bashir and Sergey Vatamanyuk before eventually returning to Team Loma in 2017.

Both Usyk and Lomanchenko were teammates on Ukraine’s national boxing team and won gold together at the 2012 Olympics. In 2017, they started training together under Papachenko. It was a return to familiar ground for Oleksandr Usyk, who was already aware of Lomanchenko Sr’s unorthodox training method. Under this partnership, the 22-0 boxer became the undisputed cruiserweight champion and also made his switch to the heavyweight division. Finally, let’s take a look at Usyk’s other teammates and sparring partners.

All we know about Oleksandr Usyk’s teammates and sparring partners

Oleksandr Usyk has made some changes to his sparring team for this rematch. He has added the Italian undefeated heavyweight Giovanni Scuderi to his team. Scuderi towers at 6’6 feet, slightly below the 6’9” Tyson Fury, and packs a similar kind of power. The 12-0 Italian boxer recently termed Usyk as the “Mohammed Ali of our time,” and is hoping for another victory.

Usyk has also recruited Congolese heavyweight, Martin Bakole, who has previously worked with ‘The Gypsy King.’ With an astonishing record of 21-1(16 KOs), Bakole also has a similar definition as Fury and possesses a similar reach. Another fighter who was recruited by the Ukranian to mirror Fury’s attributes is Sanel Hasonivic. He was with Usyk for their first clash and has maintained his place in the team.

While the other sparring partners of Oleksandr Usyk for this rematch are still under wraps, the 22-0 boxer has revealed previously that he uses his own app, “Ready to Fight,” to find sparring partners to imitate Fury. It is possible that he found the likes and Scuderi and Bakole from this app. The app is managed and run by Sergey Lapin, who used his previous analytical skills integrated with AI to find a perfect sparring partner.

The Ukranian might have changed his sparring partners, but he still maintains a good connection with all of them. Once again, he has taken all the necessary steps to retain his championship and has left no stone unturned. Will he retain his unified status? Only time will tell. In the meantime, make sure to leave your predictions down below.