Just a few months ago, world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk was facing opponents in the boxing ring. Now, he is back home in Ukraine, ready to take up arms to defend his country.
When asked on Tuesday why he returned, he replied “What do you mean, why?”.
“It’s my duty (to fight), to defend my home, my family,” he told CNN from a basement in Kyiv. “I must do that”.
He added that he did not want to kill anyone, but would do whatever it took to protect himself and his loved ones.
When asked if he was afraid, he said that “my soul belongs to the Lord, and my body and my honor belong to my country, to my family. So there is no fear. “Absolutely no fear.”
The 35-year-old’s last appearance in the ring was in September when he became world heavyweight champion, winning against Anthony Joshua.
Former world heavyweight champion and Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko told CNN on Tuesday that he was proud of the Ukrainian people defending their country and saw the battle ahead as a fight for its future. Klitschko and his brother, Hall of Famer colleague Wladimir Klitschko, have both pledged to fight for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian three-time world champion Vassily Lomachenko has joined a defense battalion in his country, according to a post on his official Facebook account.
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