Oleksandr Usyk was always destined to defend his heavyweight titles despite Russia’s invasion of his native Ukraine. His countrymen were certain of that.
Usyk has been away for a while to join the war effort but the Ukrainians have made it clear they want him to beat Anthony Joshua in Saturday’s rematch in Saudi Arabia, in part to boost morale in the nation. Europe is under siege.
“He made the decision to rematch in these circumstances after receiving overwhelming support from his Ukrainian compatriots,” Alexander Krassyuk, Usyk’s longtime promoter said at the final press conference. before the match.
Oleksandr Usyk bursts into song after confronting Anthony Joshua! 🇺🇦🎶 pic.twitter.com/O9XRy6TXSw
– Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) August 17, 2022
“He was in contact with senior military officers and he visited hospitals with wounded soldiers. In every conversation, he hears blessings and support for a rematch. Everyone wants him to fight. People still want him to win.
“People want the Ukrainian flag to rise, people want the Ukrainian national anthem to be heard across the planet. There are not many men in the world who can offer this to millions. Usyk can do that. He does it through the sport of boxing.”
And Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) certainly doesn’t want to disappoint his supporters.
The undisputed former cruiser champion is known primarily for his ring acumen and sublime skill set, which wowed Joshua in their first bout. He also trains as hard as anyone in the business.
Usyk’s managers aren’t surprised by much of what he can do. However, even they were impressed with the work he did to prepare for this fight.
“I can tell you, I have never seen anyone at 45 degrees (113 .). degrees Fahrenheit) cycling for 100 km,” said his manager, Egis Klimas. “I have never seen anyone swim the day before a press conference in London for 10km in a pool for 5 hours.
“I have never seen anyone hold their breath underwater for 4 minutes and 40 seconds and almost die. I hope all of this helps him on Saturday night. “
Krassyuk said: “When we watched the video of Usyk from the training camp, we realized that he looked like a robot. He’s been through hell in training camp for the past three months. It didn’t kill him but it made him even stronger. I have never seen him more determined than now.
“There aren’t many champions in the world who can share their experience going through the fight and stepping into the ring to defend their heavyweight crown. It was an incredibly complicated challenge for him, but he seemed to have overcome it.”
Meanwhile, Usyk was getting ready to do his thing.
“We learned from each other in the first game, but this is a continuation and the first round on Saturday will be round 13,” he said through a translator. “We had enough time to get to know each other. We’re born to fight for life, for belts, everything.
“Those who don’t fight, those who don’t win. All of our lives are competitions for something or someone. That’s why we are competitive. We’ve had enough time to get to know each other and this Saturday is going to be a great, great battle.”
