- Kal Sajad and Mark Gutfort
- BBC – Jeddah
27 minutes ago
After a closely watched fight once morest Anthony Joshua for the world heavyweight boxing title, Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk will switch from defending titles to defending his country once morest the Russian invasion.
“He will come back to defend the country, don’t hesitate to do that,” USIC promotion officer Alexander Krasuk told BBC Sport.
Usic is scheduled to face British boxer Joshua in King Abdullah Sports City in Saudi Arabia later today.
“We have to move forward, be strong and keep going. This confrontation is very important. The people of Ukraine need to feel proud. To be happy,” said the 35-year-old Usyk.
The BBC takes a look at Usyk’s undefeated 12-month career, through the horrific events in his country.
Realizing the Dream
On September 25, Usyk defeated Britain’s Joshua in a match in London, to secure the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles.
At that point, tears rolled down the cheeks of the strong man, as he had fulfilled a dream he had pursued for the rest of his life. And secured a seat on the stage of world fame in the future.
The next step on his agenda was glory. As the famous American boxer Rocky Marciano once said: What’s better than walking down any street or city, knowing that you are the world heavyweight champion?
Fans and journalists surrounded Usyk when he returned to his homeland. But all he wanted was a normal life.
Upon arriving at the airport, he told reporters, “I just want to live. I want to take my children to school, I want to plant trees, water apple trees, and spend more time with my wife.”
He didn’t ask for much, but Usyk’s return to normal life only lasted five months. On February 24, Russia launched an all-out attack on Ukraine.
photo released, Getty Images
Usek defeated Anthony Joshua in London to win the title he had always dreamed of
Usyk rushes back from London
Usyk was in talks with Joshua’s team in London regarding a possible new fight between the two, when it was reported that the Russian offensive had begun.
“We were on a business trip to London, and we were going back home the next morning,” said OSIC team manager Sergey Lapin.
“But suddenly, a few hours before leaving for the airport, around 3 am, my wife called me crying and said that many explosions were heard around, and most likely the war had begun,” he continued.
“It was a long night,” he added. “Osik was on his phone and the news came that the bombing had begun. Of course, the flight he was supposed to travel on was canceled and that’s how his journey began.”
“His family was in Kyiv because his daughter was celebrating her birthday that day. Many of the guests were at his house in Kyiv,” Klasiuk said.
Then talks regarding a new confrontation became irrelevant. Usyk’s only task was to recover his wife Ekaterina and his three children Kirillo, Mikhailo and Elizaveta.
Usyk’s trip lasted three months, with no direct flights to Ukraine.
Krasiuk said that the Ukrainian boxer “boarded a plane to Poland, and went in the car to the border of Ukraine.”
photo released, Getty Images
defense from Ukraine
Like most men in Ukraine, Usyk was involved in the war effort. He had seen the destruction with his own eyes.
“The Russian soldiers shot at our house, broke the gate, and took some of our neighbors with them,” Usik told Profiboxing.
Usyek appeared in pictures holding a rifle ( AK-47), at the beginning of March, along with his friend, former boxer Vasily Lomachenko, but he never denied the use of weapons.
The boxer’s team manager explained, “He began to move around the area where he lived with his partners and colleagues, joining a vigilante group to defend it.”
He added that Usik’s job “was to move around in search of strangers. He set up barriers to monitor who enters and who leaves. To make sure that strangers or people do not cross,” and inform the relevant services when something happens.
A month following the invasion, Joshua’s confrontation once more, which was likely to take place in May, was the last thing that crossed the mind of the Ukrainian hero.
Usik told CNN that he does not know when he will return to the ring, adding: “My country and my honor are more important to me than a championship belt.”
Krasiuk said Usik did not want to leave his country and his family.
He continued, “He asked his wife to leave, to cross the border into Poland or any European country. She told him that she would not go without him. He was nervous.”
“We did not know what would happen, and if the match would take place at all,” Krasiok added. “I spoke to (his promoter) Eddie Hearn, and he said Anthony Joshua fully understood what was going on,” he said.
photo released, Getty Images
Usyk says he wants to play the game for peace in Ukraine
Afor physical recovery And the soul
Usyk’s priority was to protect his homeland, but it was the will of the Ukrainian people that convinced him to consider returning to the ring.
Krasiuk said the world boxing champion was “travelling around the country, visiting hospitals and the injured and talking to fans, and everyone he met heard words of support and blessings from them for re-fighting.”
“To go back to being a professional fighter, to get back to work. People wanted the Ukrainian flag to be raised and the Ukrainian anthem to be heard all over the planet.”
Usyek was given the green light by the Ukrainian president, prime minister and sports minister. He was also supported by the former world heavyweight champion, Vitali Klitsch.
Usyek and his team traveled to Poland at the end of March to begin training.
But with the sirens still ringing in their ears, it took a while for Usek to adjust to boxing once more and sought help from a sports psychologist.
Krasiuk pointed out that following crossing the border at the end of March, without hearing the sirens and not feeling the danger as in Ukraine, this helped ease the pressure.
“It took him a while to recover,” he said. “It probably all took a month or more before we might go back to normal.”
Despite winning the three championship titles, Usak is still a novice heavyweight boxer, and he only fought three matches in this category, following overcoming the middleweight category.
Lapin said that the tension that accompanied the events in Ukraine left its mark on Usik’s body.
He pointed out that the Ukrainian boxer lost some kilograms of weight, “maintained in shape, but was very active.”
He added: “Everything is going well with him now – his weight is back to normal, and he is feeling much better both emotionally and mentally.”
The standoff was supposed to take place on July 23 in Saudi Arabia, an option that has sparked controversy due to the kingdom’s human rights record and its military activities in Yemen.
With some details finalized, it was confirmed that the match between Joshua and Usyk would take place on August 20, with unconfirmed reports that they had each received 100,000 euros.
When the two boxers met face to face at a press conference in Saudi Arabia on June 21, Usyk didn’t say much or comment on the controversy surrounding the match being held in the kingdom, only saying that he was fighting for Ukraine.
“We are not in the best conditions right now at home,” Usic said. “I didn’t make some loud and flashy speeches, all I did was work hard in my bootcamp and in the gym. That’s what I’m going to do until it’s time for a showdown.”
USIC launched a charitable fund to help those affected by the war. In August he tried to buy Ukrainian television rights to the match from organizers in Saudi Arabia, but they were given to him as a grant.
He will broadcast the match via a free channel and on his YouTube channel for his countrymen to watch.
“In light of the difficult times that our country is going through, he is a huge supporter of those people who needed him and asked him for help,” says Labin.
“His motivation for this match wasn’t his thirst for success or his desire to be the greatest – he decided to play it for his country and his people, because Ukraine needed to win,” says Krasuk.
focus and professionalism
There is no doubting Usik’s abilities as a boxer, he is a professional.
But it is not known if this year’s events will help him or hinder his focus on the evening showdown.
“Ukrainians have a strong mentality – they are a strong people,” says Krasuk.
“They are not afraid of challenges. They are not afraid of some dangerous things because they have grown up with things like this,” he adds.
He continues: “You feel the danger. There is some fear, but the strong man is not afraid, he can handle it (fear). Osek is that man.”
He said, “I can’t say that there are too many fighters in the world who can share a similar experience and go to war, get into the ring to defend their heavyweight titles, but Usyk will.”
