OLEKSANDR USYK: Sports skills help in business
Oleksandr Usyk / Instagram
SHORT PROFILE
Name: Oleksandr Usyk
Date of Birth: January 17, 1987
Place of Birth: Simferopol, Ukraine
Profession: Boxer, undisputed world heavyweight champion, world champion in the super heavyweight division
Do you know how to win? Everyone may have their own opinion on this. But there is one person who truly knows how to walk the path of victory. His name is known all over the world — Oleksandr Usyk, an outstanding professional boxer and undisputed world champion. The initiator of the event, well-known Ukrainian businessman Vasyl Khmelnytskyi, invited Usyk to speak at the 11th Kyiv International Economic Forum.
He built the dialogue around comparing strategies for success in sports and business. We offer you a rare opportunity — to see the world through the eyes of a winner by discovering the inspiring ideas and the most interesting, unconventional insights of Oleksandr Usyk about the nature of leadership, which our publication has compiled for better reader perception.
YOU HAVE TO PLAY THE LONG GAME
I
f you want to eat a delicious steak, you need to start doing certain things step by step: get good meat, then charcoal, matches, a grill… and much more. If you want to do this for the long run, to be less dependent on external circumstances, it’s better to start raising your own lamb. You can do it relatively quickly — for example, by buying a steak in a store. But where’s the guarantee that next time you’ll manage it again?
My team and I prefer to play the long game. When I was just starting my training, we were already building specific plans. Some people didn’t understand why we were doing that, because they didn’t believe we could reach such a high professional level. But we all worked hard and persistently, preparing ourselves for a great team result.
A «BULLETPROOF VEST» FOR YOUR BUSINESS
I often travel to Greece, to Mount Athos, and I hear the monks say: «Everything that comes quickly and easily ends in a fall». Growth must happen step by step, with systematic effort toward a result. In my opinion, business works the same way as sports. Of course, there are many ways to make quick money. But that has nothing to do with development and growth.
For example, a person might earn $10,000 in a week on cryptocurrency, then $100,000 the next. When they start believing that this will always be the case, they begin to live «for pleasure», spending money left and right on meaningless desires. That’s living «short-term», and it can make you lose much more than you have. Lifting a heavy weight too quickly can only injure your back. But when you play the long game, you create something like a «bulletproof vest» that protects your life, your business, and your money under any circumstances.
FOCUSING ON «MISTAKES», NOT «SUCCESSES»
Thank God, since 2009, our team hasn’t known what it means to lose. But that doesn’t mean I treat potential defeat with disdain — it’s always walking right beside me. Victory and defeat are like brother and sister, and this reality should not be ignored. Many people hesitate to take the first step because they’re afraid of making mistakes. You have to understand: if difficulties arise in your life, it’s not the end. When you make mistakes, you’re actually growing — but only if you analyze them.
My team and I always record and carefully review my sparring sessions, but we never rewatch the full hour and a half of a fight on repeat. Why? Because we focus only on the moments where I make mistakes. We’re not very interested in the parts where I win. Then we figure out how to «fix» each mistake so the opponent doesn’t catch us on it next time. The same goes for business: competitors are always eager to exploit an error in your work. It’s impossible to avoid mistakes completely. So don’t be afraid of them — work with them.
YOU HAVE TO WORK ON YOUR «LUCK»
Sometimes I hear people say, «He’s just always lucky!» Maybe that’s true, but you have to work on your luck. Behind my so-called luck lies many years of hard work and an amazing team. It’s not just my dedication — it’s also a thorough analysis of my opponents, along with strict discipline and routine. That’s why I don’t really understand all the talk about motivation as the key to progress. Believe me, I’m not particularly motivated to wake up every morning at 5:45 a.m., but I do it because I follow discipline. If motivation works at all, it’s only for a short time.
For example, you watch a movie about some «tough guy» who trains hard and wins a competition. And you tell yourself: «I can do that too!» Now imagine a person who, driven by internal or external motivation, goes to the gym for a whole week and shows great results. Everything’s great! But the following week, the motivation is gone — and so are the results. What does that person do? Complains about not being motivated. But it’s not motivation that’s to blame — it’s the person who lost willpower, broke discipline, and stopped training.
DISCIPLINE INSTEAD OF «MOTIVATION»
For me and my team, discipline replaces motivation. When we gather at the training camp, we agree from the very beginning that everyone, without exception, will follow the routine and give their full effort. Our team was formed long ago. I have a doctor, a coach, and medical staff who assess my physical and psychological condition. I’m thoroughly prepared for both the training and the training camp itself. Lately, I’ve been waking up not at 4:45 a.m., but at 5:45. That’s a real gift — I get to sleep an extra hour! But in fact, it’s the result of research.
Experts observed that my body biologically responds better to morning workouts that start at 6 a.m. rather than 5. Of course, during preparation, there are various issues — sometimes injuries or setbacks. But all these situations always stay behind the scenes. Even when it’s very hard, I never show it, so my opponent can’t take advantage of it. Nothing should distract you from executing your chosen strategy, the one you’ve invested so much effort in! If you don’t have a strategy, you can improvise — just never lose sight of the specific goal of your improvisation.
BIG-TIME SPORTS IS BUSINESS
Professional boxing is probably 70% business and 30% sport. Well, maybe 50–50. If you can’t perform effectively in sports, then your business will also lose. Today, I devote all my strength to sports. But there’s also a bit of business involved. Our activities go beyond boxing. When working with a talented athlete, we act as promoters — we provide legal and management support, build a team, and select trainers and doctors.
Under the brand Ready to Fight, we produce stylish sportswear, and under Ready to Boost, we create high-quality supplements and vitamin complexes that will soon be available to every Ukrainian. In addition, we’re developing a glass recycling enterprise… In general, I’m more interested in business now than I was five years ago. I have some securities, because I understand that the money I earn must continue to work, not be wasted on the trappings of a «beautiful life». I’m not the kind of person who enjoys showing off.
THE LAWS OF BUSINESS ARE THE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE
Certain athletic skills can help in business. Perseverance, discipline, and love for your work — without these, nothing is possible! And also — integrity. Many years ago, I realized that if you deceive people — in business, in sports, anywhere — it will come back to you. A businessperson must be fair both to themselves and to those they work with. If you act otherwise, it will surely «come back» — not in another life, but in this one, and at the most inconvenient moment.
But sometimes it’s not you who deceives, but you who gets deceived. What should you do then? You have to look back and understand why it happened to you. What did you do wrong? Maybe it’s payback for something bad you did in the past. Everything we have — and everything we don’t — is entirely our own doing. Some may not believe what I’m saying. But God built this Universe on exactly these laws. And if you break them, you have only yourself to blame when something bad happens in your life.
HOW MUCH IS THE «USYK BRAND» WORTH?
I haven’t really thought about it. But I guess my team has some idea. A brand is something that’s promoted and sold. From that point of view, yes — we do promote Usyk as a professional athlete. Of course, we do it to secure better fights and better contracts. Behind the success of my personal brand stand more than 20 years of work in sports and, accordingly, many years of team building.
Some people joined us when they were still very young, just boys and girls. Now they are true lions in their fields and can teach others. The «Usyk» brand is not just me — it’s the whole team. Each of us contributes to the brand. In our team, there’s no such thing as «I can’t». Everyone must complete their assigned task. No one cares about excuses. If you run into difficulties, reach out to your colleagues — they’ll help you.
MULTIPLY YOUR TALENTS!
Do you remember the Gospel parable of the talents? The master gave three servants talents: one received five, another three, and the third one. The «talents» here should be understood not just as money, but as opportunities. The one who received five talents returned after a year and said: «Master, you gave me five talents, I earned five more, and now I return them to you». The master replied: «No, they are all yours!» The second servant said: «You gave me three, I earned six». The master told him the same: «They are all yours». The third said: «I’m giving back your one talent; I didn’t multiply it but buried it in the ground to keep it safe». And the master took the talent from the third servant, leaving him with nothing.
You see what I mean? A brand by itself is worth nothing. The one who keeps working will multiply what they have. And the one who doesn’t — will lose even that. This parable applies equally to sports, business, and life in general.
THE BEST EDUCATION IS LOVE!
I have four children. I believe there are many different ways to raise kids. But the best one is love. You have to love your children. I often recall what my father and mother told me… Do I say the same things to my kids? No. I do it differently — the way I believe is right. Though I do apply some of what my father taught me when raising my sons, it’s definitely different with my daughters. I watch my children closely, always try to listen to them, understand what they want, and help them reach their goals.
Overall, I think that until about the age of 14 or 15, children need to be gently pushed to do certain important things. Later, they’ll push themselves. Because if you give a child full choice, they’ll likely choose to do nothing. Our brain is a gray mass that wants pleasure, not effort. That’s my father’s perspective — although mothers might see parenting a bit differently…
A DONKEY WILL NEVER GIVE BIRTH TO A HORSE!
Today, we possess vast amounts of knowledge, yet we still can’t be certain whether what we do is right or wrong. How can this be addressed? The answer is actually quite simple — by helping our children. How? By raising them in such a way that, once they come of age, they can live independently, without our involvement. For example, I can always be present in my children’s lives, I can help them somehow. But it’s important that at a certain stage they have something of their own — their own purpose or pursuit. That’s why we must guide them, teach them languages, and help them broaden their worldview. We should travel together and show them different parts of the world.
These don’t have to be trips abroad — you can travel across Ukraine, which has countless amazing places. Among Ukrainian mountains, villages, and forests, you can find locations that reveal new sides of your children. I often travel with them, even take them to my training sessions. We talk a lot, do things together, eat, walk… I’m always observing them — how they communicate, what they talk about, what they’re interested in. And for them to have interests, they must see that their father is also passionate about something. So, first and foremost, you need to raise yourself, not them. Children will never truly listen to you, but they will always see how you live and what you do. Understand this: a donkey will never give birth to a horse!
THE FOUNDATION OF UPBRINGING IS PERSONAL EXAMPLE
Children are raised only through personal example. For instance, your son is unlikely to spit on the ground if you don’t do it yourself. He might see that you read books at home. Will he automatically do the same? Not necessarily. But he will see your interest in reading. When I pray in the morning, my younger son might run up, bow with me, and then dash off again. Children observe how their mother and father communicate, and how they interact with other people. If you have a helper at home and you treat her kindly, your children will do the same. All these examples stay with them.
But above all, you have to love them — maybe even spoil them a little. Because your communication creates unforgettable emotions that a child will remember for life. My father is, unfortunately, no longer with us. But I still remember how we used to walk in the park and shoot at the fairground range. How do I find time for my children? Between competitions! I’ll tell you something funny: my children were born one after another — two in January, two in February. Why? Because many professional athletes have their off-season in the spring. It’s pure joy, a time to rest! And what can one do during that time? Exactly — make children! That’s what Kateryna and I did.
CHILDREN NEED FINANCIAL LITERACY
Once I bought my kids two books — My First Million and My Investments. If you want your children to be financially literate, you should read such books to them before they turn 14. Unfortunately, financial literacy isn’t taught anywhere today, though in my opinion it’s essential — and it doesn’t make you any less human. My youngest is saving money for an electric bike. He’s already saved almost 2,000 euros — you know how it goes, relatives give small amounts as gifts and so on. Recently, he won third place in a competition and earned some money, but he didn’t add it to his total savings. Why not?
My wife and I were organizing a charity evening in Kyiv to support orphaned children. When our son found out about it, he donated the money he earned from the competition to charity. I was deeply moved! I thought, «My God, what a kind child I have!» He made a meaningful contribution to goodness. Of course, I’ll buy him that bike! But it’s important to take a short pause… He needs to earn another small achievement. It’s not right to pay your child for doing good things. Or, for example, for doing well at school. I spend money on him not because of that, but because he’s my son. I understand that he needs money for his development. A bike is a great idea — it will help him develop physically.
LEARN TO LISTEN TO YOUR CHILDREN!
When my 12-year-old son asks me to buy him a bike simply because I can afford it, I tell him: «But that’s my money. I spend it on you to cover all your essential needs. You already have one bike, and you don’t really need another. Maybe it’s better to try selling your old one, add that money to your savings, and then buy a new one?» And he answers: «Exactly! That’s what I read in that book you bought me!» Of course, I’ll help him do it. I think it’s great that a 12-year-old understands things like that.
But you have to be careful not to go too far with encouraging financial creativity — otherwise, he might end up trying to rent out his bed to his brother. You should encourage financial literacy, but always ensure it develops in the right spirit. It’s good when a child asks you questions. Never push them away by saying, «You’ll find out when you grow up!» Because then they’ll look for answers elsewhere — and that answer might not be the one you’d want them to hear. And ten years later, that could lead them down a path you’d never wish for them. So listen carefully to your children, talk to them, help them, and love them. And then everything will be all right.
HATE IS HEALING MUD!
No matter what you do, there will always be people who are dissatisfied with you. Remember the grandmothers who used to sit on benches in the courtyard long before the internet era? Those were our first haters! The internet has only multiplied the possibilities for hate. But let’s ask ourselves this: if you’re truly busy — working, studying, being a polite and educated person — would you really spend your time hating someone? Would you, like a madman, type angry comments about your neighbor who simply lives and sees the world differently than you do? Of course not! You wouldn’t even pay attention to them, because you have your own things to do.
How should you treat hate? I believe you should treat it like healing mud. If someone who has genuinely achieved something or helped you achieve something criticizes you — that’s one thing. Constructive criticism is great! You should listen to it, because it can help you do something incredible by giving you different perspectives to explore and test. Unfortunately, this happens rarely. Usually, hate comes from two little bugs fighting over a piece of manure.
I’ve never paid attention to hate. At first, I couldn’t understand why someone would try to drag me through the mud if they knew nothing about boxing or about me. Then I realized — it’s not about me at all! A hater doesn’t care who they’re attacking — they throw dirt at everyone. Such people are deeply unhappy with their own lives, so they try to bring everyone else down to their level. Moreover, from a psychological perspective, when someone says bad things about another person, they’re really addressing those words to themselves. All the negativity stays with the one who speaks it. You always have a choice — to judge others or to try to understand what’s really happening inside them.
FIRST UNDERSTAND — THEN REACT!
I once read a story. A daughter asked her mother: «How did you and Dad live together in harmony for 50 years? What’s your secret?» The mother replied with this story: «I remember about 30 years ago, he came home from work furious. I was also angry with him because he hadn’t done something I’d asked. What were my options? The first option — I start questioning why he didn’t do what I asked, and he snaps back irritably. And that’s it — we have a major argument and say a lot of unpleasant things to each other.
The second option — I see he’s in a bad mood, so instead of adding my negativity to his, I do the opposite: quickly make dinner, set the table, pour his favorite red wine, hug him, kiss him, calm him down, and then ask, ‘What happened?’ And he tells me that he quit his job because his boss asked him to fire a friend he had worked with for many years. Instead of betraying his friend, he resigned himself.» See what this woman did? She didn’t respond to his bad mood with aggression. Instead, she offered support and tried to understand the situation — realizing that his negative emotion wasn’t directed at her.
BE LIKE BEES, NOT LIKE FLIES!
The kind of relationships in a family that I described above — that’s pure joy! When a person feels supported, they grow wings! Haters, on the other hand, always choose the first option — they’d rather judge than understand. They can’t do what you do, so they want to make sure you don’t do it either. They’ll tell you: «Why are you even trying? You’ll never make it to heavyweight! You’ll never become a world champion!» That’s why you should always keep doing your thing and never pay attention to haters’ criticism. Behave like bees, not like flies. It’s no coincidence that a bee is the logo of my company, Ready to Fight. In our team, just like in a beehive, everyone stands up for one another — everyone works toward a shared result. A fly, on the other hand, doesn’t look for nectar — you know exactly what it looks for — and therefore criticizes everything. Bees shouldn’t pay attention to that.
THE FORMULA OF LEADERSHIP
In my understanding, a leader is someone who leads others forward — not someone sitting in the back, driving others with a whip. A leader always steps ahead, goes first, works first, and takes the first risk. When you act like that, people around you notice and follow your example. To become a leader, you need to fulfill a few key conditions. Let me try to outline them:
#1 Confidence
Indecision robs you of opportunity. If you’re not confident, you can’t be a leader. Some people are even afraid to ask a simple question. I can tell a lot just by how someone shakes my hand — some do it firmly, others weakly, some with trembling hands… Determination matters immensely.
#2 Get Up Immediately When You Fall
It’s like in boxing after a knockdown. When you’re on the ground, the referee starts counting to ten. One, two, three… Don’t wait for the count to finish — get up! Even if it’s at eight or nine. If you don’t get up, you’ve lost.
#3 Take the First Step
God will help you along your path. He will send the right people to walk beside you. But the decision to begin — that’s yours to make. Say to yourself: Yes, I will build this! Yes, I will train! Yes, I will fight this opponent! All those «we’ll see», «it’ll work out somehow» lead nowhere. No matter how hard it is, you must decide and start working now.
#4 Discipline
There’s a saying: «Discipline beats talent». And it’s true. Some people are biologically gifted — they train for a week, and their heart is already in great shape. Good for you if you’re talented. But without discipline, your success will be short-lived. Discipline is what consistently creates the foundation for new achievements.
#5 Love What You Do
Love for life and for the world is essential! You wake up in the morning — wonderful. You have breakfast — wonderful. You go to work — pure joy! Love is gratitude. You must be thankful to God for life. You must love what you have and what you do.
#6 Fighting Spirit
It’s important not only in sports but in life in general. When a person has character and inner strength, they always seek their own path, keep working, keep growing — and never give up. Sometimes people try something, fail, and lose faith. But it’s crucial not to give up and to push forward no matter the circumstances.
#7 Taking Care of Yourself
Your condition — emotional, mental, physical, and moral — matters deeply. For instance, if you lack physical strength, your first thought will be, «I can’t do this». Take care of your well-being, but don’t buy into all those stories about «burnout» and «childhood trauma». Those are inventions meant to relieve you of responsibility for your life — and to make money off it.
STAY AWAY FROM «INFO-GYPSIES»
Our children come into this world not for us, but through us. Then our children will have their own children. Everything will repeat itself — in every generation there will always be parents and children. Life is what it is. Why look for something abnormal in it? A psychoanalyst might tell you that all your problems come from the fact that your mother made you wear tights as a child. So what? I wore tights too — how else could you live in a village when it’s thirty degrees below zero in December? You put on tights, then long johns, then pants — and you’re warm and healthy.
There are many psychological «tricks» invented purely so you’ll give your money to these so-called «info-gypsies» of psychology. So don’t listen to all that nonsense about «parental guilt». What «childhood traumas»? Everyone’s ready to blame their mom or dad! But for your problems, you can blame only yourself. Let’s listen instead to truly great philosophers and psychiatrists. One such person was Viktor Frankl, who survived the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp during World War II — conditions a thousand times more terrible than any imagined «childhood trauma». He had already forged his character long before ending up in a death camp.
WHERE TO FIND PSYCHOLOGICAL RESERVES
Frankl said that the first to give up in the camp were those who thought the hell they were living through would end quickly. Then, those who believed it would never end broke down psychologically. Only those who focused on their work survived. In the camp, Frankl once asked a fellow prisoner — who also survived — «What gives your life meaning? What are you striving for?» The man answered: «I have a goal — I want to see my daughter and grandchildren, to watch them grow and learn». He kept walking toward that goal, and it helped him survive.
Another fellow prisoner wrote poetry — his goal was to survive at any cost and publish his work, to tell the world his story. We must take people like these as examples. We need something in life that keeps us afloat: work, learning, and family. Then we’ll never experience «burnout», because burnout happens only when we allow ourselves to be weak — when we don’t know how to replenish our psychological reserves. In fact, there are many such reserves. Your family is a reserve. Your loved ones are a reserve. Everyone who believes in you is a reserve. But the main reserve is the light that God gives us.
Prepared in partnership with KIEF. Huxley is the information partner of the Kyiv International Economic Forum
When copying materials, please place an active link to www.huxley.media
Select the text and press Ctrl + Enter
