Ukraine boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk released after Poland detention
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It was not immediately clear why Oleksandr Usyk was detained.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KYIV – Undisputed boxing heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk has been released after detention by law enforcement officers at Poland’s Krakow airport, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept 18.
“I was outraged by this attitude towards our citizen and champion. Our champion was released and no one is detaining him any more,” he said on the Telegram messaging app.
It was not immediately clear why the 37-year-old Usyk was detained but, judging by the fury from Mr Zelensky, it was likely not for legitimate reasons.
The WBC (World Boxing Council), WBO (World Boxing Organisation), WBA (World Boxing Association) and IBF (International Boxing Federation) champion, who also won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, has been a national hero aiding Kyiv’s war efforts.
Poland’s foreign and interior ministries did not immediately reply to Reuters’ requests for comments.
“Friends, everything is fine. There was a misunderstanding that was quickly resolved. Thank you to everyone who was concerned,” Usyk said in an Instagram post.
He added: “Respect to the Polish law enforcement officers who perform their duties regardless of height, weight, arm span and titles.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X afterwards that his ministry will contact its Polish counterpart, as it considered the detention “disproportionate and unacceptable in relation to our champion”.
“We’ll send a relevant note to the Polish side,” he said.
Polish TVP Info, a television news channel run by state broadcaster TVP, published a social media video on its website showing Polish law enforcement officers walking the handcuffed Usyk through what appeared to be an airport.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the video.
Usyk beat Tyson Fury of Britain in May to become the undisputed heavyweight boxing world champion in a thrilling contest at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Ukrainian is the first boxer to hold all four major heavyweight belts at the same time, and the first undisputed champion since the end of Lennox Lewis’ reign in 2000.
Usyk’s charity fund, Usyk Foundation, aids Kyiv’s forces in the war that Russia launched against Ukraine in 2022. It buys, among others, ambulances and delivers humanitarian aid to the front line.
Usyk’s wife, Yekaterina Usyk, who posted a blurred photo of her husband surrounded by uniformed officers, said in an Instagram post that she was thankful her husband was free after a misunderstanding.
REUTERS
