Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) is set to defend his WBC, WBA and WBO world heavyweight titles against Tyson Fury in a rematch at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday and is gaining some extra inspiration from his fellow Ukrainians fighting in the war.
Usyk, 37, still lives in Ukraine, when he is not training, and is set to take the ring during a time when his home country in still at war and presents a lot of challenges for Ukrainian boxers who have family and friends living in the war torn areas.
“Oleksandr often expresses how proud he is to represent Ukraine on the global sports stage and how grateful he is to God for being born Ukrainian, especially at this moment in history,” Usyk’s team director Sergey Lapin said, according to ESPN. “There is probably no one in Ukraine today who doesn’t have a relative in the army. Many of his friends and acquaintances are currently at the frontline or actively supporting the military. Lots of athletes including boxers are also there.
“All our sports victories positively impact the morale of Ukrainians. But Usyk is too modest to claim any special heroic status. He sees himself as an ambassador, working to showcase our fighting nation and Ukrainian culture to the world.”
“He actually lives in Ukraine, leaving only for the duration of the camps,” Lapin added. “His family is in Kyiv, during our first camp before Fury his daughter was born there, just during the winter blackouts. So his thoughts are often there too.”
