Oleksandr Usyk is considered an all-time great by many, but one former opponent has branded him ‘shameful’.
Utysk is the only man in the four-belt era to be a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion. To get there, he has twice defeated Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois without ever really looking in much trouble.
Russia’s Egor Mekhontsev was the last person to get a victory over Usyk in the semi-finals of the 2009 World Championships in Milan, which he won 14-10.
He has told Boxing Scene that he thinks the Ukrainian has a habit of faking injury from suspect low blows.
“When he boxed with me, he kept going down as if I were hitting him below the belt, even though I was punching to the body — yet he’d grab areas you’re not allowed to hit. I think that’s shameful; where we come from, that’s considered a low act.
“I’ve seen his other fights, and people complained too. Take his fight with Beterbiev at the Olympic Games — when he started holding his kidney on the completely opposite side.
“We talked with Artur, and he said, ‘It was physically impossible for me to hit him there.’ If you look at it objectively, he simply couldn’t reach that kidney. “That’s why they deducted two points from Usyk. That’s something he does. It’s a habit of his — and for us, that’s disgraceful.
Usyk has done similar in heavyweight contests, including his infamous bout with Dubois back in August 2023 when he was caught with a shot on the belt line and went down for several minutes before eventually rising and knocking out the Brit to retain his belt.
The Ukrainian last fought in August when he beat Dubois again, and he recently vacated his WBO strap and announced he was keen on taking on Deontay Wilder.
