Krzysztof Glowacki vs Oleksandr Usyk

Ukraine’s 2012 Olympic gold medalist Oleksandr Usyk claimed his first professional world title when he won the World Boxing Organisation cruiserweight championship in only his tenth professional contest, outpointing Krzysztof Glowacki over 12 rounds at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk. The Ukrainian challenger controlled most of the fight with his southpaw jab, rapid footwork and superior hand speed, earning a unanimous decision by scores of 119–109 and 117–111 twice.

Glowacki was making the second defence of the championship he had won from Marco Huck in Newark the previous year. That victory had established the Pole as a resilient and dangerous champion. He had recovered from a knockdown before stopping Huck in the eleventh round, ending the German’s long WBO reign. Glowacki then retained the title against former IBF champion Steve Cunningham, flooring the American four times on the way to a unanimous decision. He entered the Usyk contest unbeaten in 26 fights, with 16 victories inside the distance.

Usyk possessed far less professional experience but brought a considerable amateur reputation. He had won the world amateur heavyweight championship in 2011 and the Olympic heavyweight gold medal in London the following year. All nine of his professional opponents had been stopped, although he had never fought beyond nine rounds. At 6ft 3in, he also held advantages in height and reach. Glowacki weighed 199.3 pounds and Usyk 198¾ pounds. Both were southpaws, with Robert Byrd appointed referee.

The challenger established his pattern in the opening round. He remained light on his feet, circling away from Glowacki’s power hand and using a quick, accurate jab to interrupt the champion’s advances. Glowacki pressed forward and attempted to bring his left hand into play, but Usyk altered the distance before the Pole could set himself. The Ukrainian did not remain directly in front of the champion after punching. He stepped to the side, reset and made Glowacki turn before beginning again.

Glowacki increased his aggression in the second round and tried to make the contest more physical. He threw the left hand with greater commitment and attempted to close Usyk against the ropes, but the challenger’s feet carried him away from danger. Usyk continued to score with the jab and added straight lefts when Glowacki overreached. The champion’s punches were thrown with force, yet many struck gloves or passed through empty space as Usyk withdrew at an angle.

A clash of heads in the third round contributed to a cut near Glowacki’s right eye. Usyk’s jab repeatedly found the same area thereafter, causing the injury to bleed and adding to the champion’s difficulties. Glowacki remained determined and continued advancing, but he was having to take two or three steps merely to reach punching range. By the time he arrived, Usyk had often struck first and moved away.

Glowacki enjoyed occasional success during the fourth and fifth rounds, particularly when he anticipated Usyk’s movement and released the left hand before the challenger could escape. The fifth was among the closer rounds of the contest. The champion’s pressure made Usyk work harder, and the partisan crowd responded whenever Glowacki forced an exchange. Yet even during those better passages, the cleaner and more frequent scoring came from the challenger. Usyk’s jab disrupted Glowacki’s balance, while his straight left landed before the champion’s wider replies could reach their target.

From the sixth round the pattern became increasingly settled. Glowacki advanced; Usyk met him with the jab, then moved to either side. The challenger also began putting his punches together more confidently, following the right jab with the left cross and finishing with hooks as he changed position. Glowacki was rugged enough to absorb the blows and continued trying to apply pressure, but he could not keep Usyk near the ropes for long enough to work at close quarters.

The champion’s problem was not a lack of courage or effort. He increased his pace and repeatedly tried to cut off the ring, but Usyk’s movement was too quick and too well organised. The Ukrainian rarely crossed his feet or retreated in a straight line. He turned Glowacki, struck while the Pole was resetting and then moved before a counter could be delivered. Glowacki’s left hand remained a danger, but it became increasingly hopeful as the rounds passed.

Usyk maintained his work through the later rounds without showing signs of distress over a distance he had never previously travelled. His output remained steady, and he continued to vary the speed of his punches. At times he touched Glowacki with the jab merely to occupy the guard; on other occasions he drove it firmly into the damaged eye before following with the straight left. Glowacki’s face showed the effects of the repeated punches, but he refused to concede the fight and continued pursuing the challenger.

The final round produced some of the contest's most direct exchanges. Glowacki, needing a knockout, pressed with greater urgency and landed solidly during an active finish. Usyk answered rather than simply protecting his lead, and both men connected with heavy punches. The crowd briefly reacted when Usyk went to the canvas, but the fall was correctly treated as a slip rather than a knockdown. The challenger regained his footing and completed the round in control.

Mickey Vann and Ferenc Budai each scored the fight 117–111, while Adalaide Byrd returned the wider total of 119–109. There were no knockdowns, point deductions or serious disputes concerning the verdict. Glowacki had attempted to make the fight throughout, but the challenger’s footwork and jab repeatedly neutralised his pressure.

Usyk improved his record to 10–0 and became a professional world champion with fewer contests than any previous cruiserweight titleholder. Glowacki suffered his first defeat and surrendered the championship to a man who had entered Poland, met an unbeaten titleholder before his home support and defeated him by clear margins. The difference lay chiefly in distance and positioning. Glowacki had the power and determination expected of a champion, but Usyk seldom let him use either on favourable terms.

Glowacki was no paper champion. He’d climbed off the floor to stop Marco Huck and then dropped Steve Cunningham four times, so we knew he had strength, heart and a dangerous left hand. Usyk went into Poland for only his tenth professional fight and made an unbeaten world champion look painfully limited.

The difference was footwork. Both were southpaws, but Usyk was always half a step outside Glowacki’s lead foot, creating the angle for his jab and straight left. He didn’t simply move away; he punched, changed position and forced Glowacki to reset before every attack. By the time the Pole had turned and planted his feet, Usyk had already scored and gone.

Glowacki kept coming and deserves respect for that, especially after the cut around his right eye. But determination without the correct position only gets you hit more often. His big left hand became increasingly desperate because Usyk never remained on the line long enough for him to land it cleanly.

The scores of 119–109 and 117–111 twice were fair. I did not argue with the widest card. What impressed me most was Usyk’s composure over 12 rounds when he had never previously gone beyond nine. He didn’t steal the title or scrape past the champion. He went into Glowacki’s backyard, controlled him with fundamentals and won clearly. That was the night it became obvious Usyk wasn’t merely a decorated amateur; he was going to be a serious professional champion.