Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk shared emotional details about how he handled the opening days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Oleksandr Usyk says there was a moment when boxing no longer mattered to him and he was ready to walk away from the sport to defend Ukraine after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
The Ukrainian star said he was prepared to give up his career entirely and join those protecting the country. “I respect these people, these guys. When the war started, I said, ‘I’m leaving boxing and going to defend my country,’” Usyk recalled.
According to the champion, he spent about a month with territorial defense forces before later arriving in Lviv with his team, where he visited a hospital treating wounded servicemen. That visit became the turning point that changed how he viewed his role.
One of the patients, a man from Crimea, asked him to keep training and move forward with his rematch against Anthony Joshua. The wounded serviceman told Usyk that his presence on television and in major fights mattered to Ukrainian soldiers and civilians alike, and that he needed to represent the message that Ukraine would not surrender.
Usyk said that as a father and husband, he felt it was his duty to serve directly in the military. But the injured soldier pushed back, telling him that as world champion, his place was in the gym.
“I thought about it and answered, ‘Okay, brother,’” Usyk said. After returning home, he made his decision and immediately called his manager to begin preparing for the fight, saying he understood how important it was for his country and his people.
Usyk went on to defeat Joshua in their rematch and has since strengthened his place as one of boxing’s defining champions of this era.
As a reminder, Usyk is set to face renowned kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in Egypt on May 23.
