On Saturday, March 21, as part of the Rising Stars boxing evening, organized by the undefeated Oleksandr Usyk's promotion company, Usyk 17 Promotions, the long-awaited debut in the professional ring of the Paris 2024 Olympic champion Oleksandr Khyzhnyak took place at the Equides Club hotel complex in Lysnyky near Kyiv.
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The 30-year-old boxer nicknamed Poltava Tank knocked down 28-year-old Colombian Wilmer Baron (8 wins, 6 of them by knockout, 14 losses, 1 draw) who lives in Spain twice in the first round. After the guest from Ukraine fell to the floor of the ring for the second time, the referee recorded a knockout. This is Khyzhnyak's first victory in the professional ring. And he did it under the supervision of two Olympic champions — Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua, who arrived in Ukraine after a fatal car accident.
Recall that Oleksandr Khyzhnyak is the 2017 World and European Amateur Champion, the silver medalist of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in the 75 kg weight category, and the winner of the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medal in the 80 kg weight category. In the amateur ring, the boxer fought 125 fights, in which he won 111 victories (17 of them by knockout) and suffered 14 defeats.
Previously, “FACTS” reported that Usyk paid Khyzhnyak a large sum of dollars from his own pocket for the Olympic “gold”.
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