Why does Usyk call his unstoppable left-hand punch “Ivan”?

A powerful left-hand punch, in a “hook” style, brought the bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Britain’s Daniel Dubois to an end.

Ukrainian Usyk spoke about the unstoppable punch at a press conference held an hour after Saturday night’s bout at “Wembley”.

Usyk defeated Dubois by knockout in the fifth round, collecting all the world heavyweight titles.

He explained the punch, saying it is not an ordinary “hook”. It has more momentum and the hand is held a little higher. It also has a distinctive name.

“This left-hand punch is called Ivan,” Usyk told the room packed with journalists.

“Ivan is a Ukrainian name. Ivan is a big lad who lives in the village and works hard for his family. It’s a powerful punch, it’s the Ivan punch,” explained the world’s best boxer at present.

He said he first named his signature punch “Ivan” in 2018, when he was in the United States. He was still a cruiserweight boxer.

Dubois was first knocked down by a right hand to the body from Usyk. But it was the left-hand punch, the “Ivan” punch, that decided everything.

Only Muhammad Ali had previously been a two-time undisputed champion in professional heavyweight boxing. Now Usyk has achieved the same feat.