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Nick Parkinson
Oleksandr Usyk has gained added inspiration from his fellow Ukrainians who are fighting a war, according to his team director Sergey Lapin.
Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) defends his WBA, WBA and WBO world heavyweight titles against Tyson Fury in a rematch at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday after preparing in Spain.
But when Usyk, 37, is not in training camp he still lives in Ukraine, which has been at war since Russia invaded in February 2022. Competing at a time when their country is at war has many challenges for Ukrainian boxers like Usyk, who have family and friends either living in areas that are being bombed, or fighting on the front line.
Since beating Fury’s English rival Anthony Joshua in London in September 2021 to become heavyweight champion, southpaw Usyk has also been unable to defend his titles in war-torn Ukraine.
But Lapin, a childhood friend of Usyk who is now a leading figure in the two-weight undisputed world champion’s career, said the ongoing struggles of the Ukrainian people are fueling the fighters’ motivation.
“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,” Lapin told 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.”
Usyk won a split points decision over two-time former champion Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs), 36, after he came close to stopping the English boxer in Round 9 in May. Fury, who had the better of the early rounds, was given a standing count in Round 9. The rematch, Usyk’s fourth world title defence, is reportedly worth $190 million.
Beyond this weekend’s fight it is not clear what Usyk’s next boxing move will be, with options including a third fight against Fury, facing the winner of IBF champion Daniel Dubois vs. Joseph Parker (Feb. 22) or a move down in weight class (either bridgerweight or cruiserweight).
However, Lapin said one certainty following Saturday will be Usyk’s return to Ukraine for the first time since September, before the start of his training camp for the Fury rematch.
“He actually lives in Ukraine, leaving only for the duration of the camps,” Lapin, who is CEO of the business Ready to Fight which Usyk is involved in, told ESPN.
“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.”
Likewise, junior middleweight contender Serhii Bohachuk often thinks about the events back in his homeland thousands of miles away. Bohachuk faces Ishmael Davis in a junior middleweight non title bout as chief support to the main event of Usyk vs. Fury II in Riyadh.
Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs), 29, from Vinnytsia in Ukraine, has been based in Los Angeles since 2016, although he was back in Ukraine early in the war and feared he might not be able to return.
“Last time I went back to the Ukraine, my U.S. visa expired and then for six months I couldn’t make an appointment with the consul,” Bohachuk told ESPN from his training camp in Mexico.
“I was stuck in Ukraine for that time and while I was there war broke out and the country closed. In Ukraine, guys up to 60 years old couldn’t go to another country. My promoter Tom Loeffler helped me, he sent a message to the Ukraine government explaining I’m a sportsman and a boxer and I needed to get back to the United States for my career.”
Bohachuk is unsure when he can return to Ukraine and said he knows people have been recently killed.
“My family live in the middle of Ukraine, 260 km from Kyiv, my brother is in the Ukrainian military, my close friend is in the Ukrainian military so I’m thinking a lot about them and what is going on in the war,” Bohachuk said.
“It’s a very, very bad situation. I talk to my brother regularly and try to give him support, because it’s a bad situation.
“I want to win my fights to also motivate the Ukrainian people, to tell them they are strong, to remind people to stop the war, it’s stupid and very bad. In Ukraine, there have been a lot of young people killed. A 25-year-old guy who lived down my street was killed last week.
“I don’t know when I can go back. My mum, dad, brother in Ukraine. It’s very dangerous there. I have a six-month-old daughter in L.A., and I can’t leave her to go to Ukraine because it’s a very, very dangerous situation with missiles bombing Ukraine.”
Bohachuk, who is the No. 2 challenger for the WBC world junior middleweight title held by Sebastian Fundora, hopes to give Ukrainian viewers more to get excited about on Saturday than Usyk vs. Fury II.
“Ukraine people are very proud of Usyk, he’s a national hero, he’s supported Ukraine people, Ukraine military and people love Usyk, he makes Ukraine people happy,” Bohachuk said.
“Usyk is smart and has good strategy, I think he wins again. For me it’s a big chance because it’s a very big show, a lot of Ukraine people will be watching this show because of Usyk, and it’s a chance for me to show what I can do.”