It’s been a long, arduous journey for Oleksandr Usyk since becoming world heavyweight champion to what promises to be a historic night in Jeddah on Saturday. A mercurial talent, elevating the sport over the last decade by rising through the divisions with a combination of mesmerising angles and majestic footwork, which left Anthony Joshua in a daze at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September.
But while Usyk pens another absorbing chapter to the rich history of the heavyweight division, this fascinating talent has shouldered the burden of his status around the world as Ukraine fights for freedom in the war against Russia.
“I’m motivated by the people of Ukraine, who are struggling hard to defend our independence, to defend our freedom and defend our culture, which other people want to demolish and destroy,” said Usyk.
Despite his message translated through his promoter, Alexander Krassyuk, and some sentences through broken English, it is no less powerful: “They don’t want us to exist anymore.”
The magnitude of the task at hand is underlined when Usyk has already confirmed he will return to the frontline and Ukraine’s territorial defence.
Boxing has always leaned on hype and bad blood to garner attention in the final hours before that first bell, but Usyk is different. An Olympic champion, the former undisputed cruiserweight world champion and a road warrior after famous nights in Riga, Moscow, Manchester and London among others. Simply, he is one of the greatest of a generation across both amateur and professional boxing.
Usyk has looked dialled in this week too, largely ignoring the monotonous spiel throughout Wednesday’s press conference, instead bowing in his seat, focused on a maths puzzle. But the toll of the build-up to Jeddah has finally prompted a more animated version of Usyk, perhaps conscious of his role this week as millions tune in.
His cancelled flight to Kyiv in February as bombs began to drop across Ukraine meant Team Usyk flew to Poland before driving to the border, while the 35-year-old has publicly called on Russian president Vladimir Putin to stop the war.
But on Wednesday, after yet more pleasantries and gratitude towards the Saudi kingdom from promoter Eddie Hearn, Usyk, in traditional Cossack clothing, perked up. Eager to rally his team and supporters as Joshua skipped away from the press conference stage, Usyk leaped up and bellowed out Ukraine’s national song “Oi u luzi chervona kalyna (Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow)”.
It was not the familiar pledge from a fighter to render a rival unconscious, but it might have prompted a deeper realisation among Joshua and his team. An ominous sign that Usyk, with his box of tricks in that “nightmare” southpaw stance, is inspired beyond producing pugilistic excellence and feels the need to deliver for his 40 million-plus compatriots.
“I’m in touch with many guys from the frontline,” he reveals. “I receive voice and video messages from them with words of support and they tell me they are praying for me and for my victory. This motivates me greatly.
“I’m not a politician, I’m a sportsman. I just want to see my kids, who I’ve not seen properly for almost half a year, I want to see my mum. They are all now in Europe. I want to see them and hug them. Then I will go back to Kiev.
“It is the real deeds of people that motivate me. If the president of Ukraine had left in the first days of the war, it would have left the Ukrainian people without hope. But he didn’t and that motivated us to stand strong and fight. He said, ‘just give me the weapons because if someone comes to kill me, I want to be able to defend myself’. Everyone realised then that he had huge balls, that we had to fight for our leader.”
The fight will be available for free in Ukraine this weekend upon Usyk’s insistence, spurning the opportunity to pocket further millions from broadcast rights.
It feels like Saturday marks the defining moment of Usyk’s career, even if Tyson Fury predictably returns from retirement again for an undisputed fight in the coming months.
“He was in touch with high-ranking military officers and he visited the hospitals with injured soldiers. In every conversation, he heard words of blessing and support to take the rematch,” Krassyuk said.
“People wanted him to fight. People still want him to win. People want the Ukrainian flag to rise, people want the Ukrainian anthem to be heard throughout the whole planet. Not many men in the world can deliver this to millions of people.”
There is a limit to what Usyk can achieve by simply shining in the ring and defending his WBA, WBO and IBF titles; the destruction in Ukraine will of course continue. But Usyk represents a mentality to many back in Ukraine, while the biggest fight of the year will have shades of blue and yellow around the Jeddah Superdome.
Usyk’s influence is profound: beyond his brilliance in the ring, Saturday’s rematch represents hope.
