A few words slipped into the night on Telegram which say a lot about the symbolic significance of the feat of Oleksandr Usyk, defeater of Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia and new unified heavyweight world champion. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, hailed the triumph of his compatriot in Saudi Arabia via Telegram messaging on the night of Saturday to Sunday.

While his country is at war with Russia, Zelensky did not hesitate to make a connection between the fight in the ring and the outcome of the conflict: “The Ukrainians are hitting hard! In the end, all our opponents will be defeated. Oleksandr Usyk is the absolute world champion! A difficult battle that proves it: Ukrainian endurance and strength give birth to Ukrainian victory. Congratulations, champion! Greetings, country! Glory to Ukraine!”

The message is all the stronger as Usyk volunteered in the Ukrainian army just after the Russian invasion in February 2022 and while the boxer was preparing his revenge against Anthony Joshua. “I lived with the troops. I was there for the soldiers. With binoculars, I saw my enemies running, the tanks exploding, the houses destroyed,” he confided in an interview with the Daily Mail in October 2023. “I saw people without arms or legs. Those who could still walk looked like the living dead.”

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However, Usyk’s engagement in the armed forces was interrupted after a few weeks. “The guys in the armed forces convinced me that I had to fight to help my country on the international stage, talk about it and bring opportunities to Ukraine to rebuild it,” he explained.

Born in the city of Simferopol in Crimea, Usyk was not always seen as a symbol of resistance. After the annexation of his native peninsula by Russia in 2014, he was accused by many Ukrainians of remaining neutral and lambasted for declaring that Russians and Ukrainians were part of the same people.

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But since the Russian invasion of 2022, the discourse has changed, with his promoter Alexander Krassyuk believing that Usyk represented “a real source of inspiration for Ukraine, for the guys who are on the front line”.

For two years, the new undisputed master of boxing has carried the colors of his country high in the ring, with, each time, an extra bit of soul to defeat his opponents (22 victories in 22 fights). While not forgetting to work in the shadows for his compatriots via the charitable organization United24 for fundraising for reconstruction. His personal foundation also contributes to the purchase of vehicles and equipment for the armed forces or to humanitarian aid.