{"id":711055,"date":"2026-07-25T21:06:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T21:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/711055\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T21:06:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T21:06:10","slug":"oleksandr-usyk-watches-on-with-delight-as-olympic-gold-medallist-blows-away-foe-in-two-rounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/711055\/","title":{"rendered":"Oleksandr Usyk watches on with delight as Olympic gold medallist blows away foe in two rounds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oleksandr Khyzhniak continued his perfect start to life as a professional on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

The aptly nicknamed ‘Ukrainian Tank’ tore through previously unbeaten Frenchman Lenny Patrach (8-1-1) to improve to 2-0 on the Anthony Joshua<\/a> vs Kristian Prenga undercard in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

\"Oleksandr<\/a><\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

Oleksandr Khyzhniak makes two wins from two inside the distanceCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

Khyzhniak set a high-octane pace from the off, landing heavy artillery to head and body.<\/p>\n

By the second round, the intensity was clearly getting to Patrach, who began to wilt under the unrelenting pressure.<\/p>\n

Moments later, Patrach was decked by a sharp left hook to the temple as he attempted to open up.<\/p>\n

He made his way back to his feet, but Khyzhniak was on him like a rash.<\/p>\n

READ MORE ON BOXING <\/p>\n

A blistering flurry of shots against the ropes sent the B-side fighter tumbling back down to the canvas, where the fight was immediately waved off. <\/p>\n

Khyzhniak’s promoter and future first-ballot Hall of Famer Oleksandr Usyk<\/a> was ringside for the bout, and could be seen barking instructions with prayer beads in hand.<\/p>\n

When the finishing blows landed, he leapt to his feet in delight.<\/p>\n

What did Oleksandr Khyzhniak achieve as an amateur?<\/p>\n

Khyzhniak made his professional debut in March on a Usyk 17 Promotions card in Lesniki, Ukraine, stopping Colombian journeyman Wilmer Baron inside the opening stanza.<\/a><\/p>\n

At 30 years old, he will need to be moved quickly, especially given his amateur credentials. <\/p>\n

Khyzhniak picked up gold medals at the European Championships (twice), World Championships and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

\"Usyk<\/a><\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

Usyk was delighted for his fighterCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

Among his many notable wins in the unpaid ranks is a pair of victories over British standout Ben Whittaker<\/a> in 2017.<\/p>\n

While his relentless pressure fighting proved too much for most elite amateurs during a 129-17 tenure, he has shown signs of vulnerability. <\/p>\n

In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics<\/a> final, Khyzhniak suffered a heavy knockout loss to Hebert Conceicao Sousa.<\/p>\n

Although he is an excellent combination puncher, there are still questions surrounding his defence as he embarks on his pro career. <\/p>\n

Only time will tell how far he can go, but it will no doubt be an exciting journey.<\/p>\n

Watch Boxing on DAZN<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue<\/p>\n

Sign up to DAZN<\/a> to access the definitive subscription for boxing fans.<\/p>\n

Upgrade to DAZN Ultimate<\/a> from just \u00a324.99\/month, guaranteeing access to 185+ fights annually, a minimum of 12 pay-per-views at no extra cost, as well as every Lega Serie A match and other elite football access.<\/p>\n

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Click here to sign up<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oleksandr Khyzhniak continued his perfect start to life as a professional on Saturday night. The aptly nicknamed ‘Ukrainian…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":711056,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[2560,6102,235486,4036,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-711055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-boxing-news","tag-oleksandr-khyzhniak","tag-oleksandr-usyk","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=711055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/711056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=711055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=711055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=711055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}