- Usyk's charity aids Kyiv's forces with ambulances and humanitarian aid.
- His wife, Yekaterina, thanked supporters on Instagram for his release after a misunderstanding.
- She shared a blurred photo of Usyk with uniformed officers.
Undisputed heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk has been released after a brief detention by law enforcement at Krakow airport in Poland, as confirmed by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The reasons for Usyk’s detention remain unclear. As the WBC, WBO, and WBA champion, and a gold medalist from the 2012 London Olympics, Usyk is celebrated as a national hero in Ukraine and has actively supported Kyiv’s war efforts.
“I was outraged by the treatment of our citizen and champion,” Zelenskyy stated on the Telegram messaging app late Tuesday. “Our champion has been released, and no one is detaining him any longer.”
Usyk, expected to attend Saturday’s heavyweight boxing match between Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua in London, later clarified that his detention was due to a misunderstanding. “Friends, everything is fine,” Usyk stated in an Instagram post. “It was a misunderstanding that was quickly resolved. Thank you to everyone who was concerned.”
He added, “Respect to the Polish law enforcement officers who carry out their duties regardless of height, weight, arm span, and titles.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated on X that his ministry would reach out to the Polish foreign ministry, deeming Usyk’s detention “disproportionate and unacceptable” for their champion.
Polish TVP Info, a state-run news channel, shared a video showing law enforcement officers escorting a handcuffed Usyk through the airport.
Usyk became the undisputed heavyweight boxing world champion after defeating Tyson Fury in May at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. At 37, he is the first boxer to hold all four major heavyweight titles simultaneously and the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis’s reign ended in April 2000.
Usyk’s charity, the Usyk Foundation, supports Kyiv’s forces in the war against Russia, launched in 2022. The foundation provides essential supplies, including ambulances and humanitarian aid to the front lines.
Usyk’s wife, Yekaterina Usyk, shared a blurred photo of her husband surrounded by uniformed officers and expressed her gratitude on Instagram, stating she was relieved her husband was free after a misunderstanding.
