Usyk: I am motivated by Ukrainian people, who are persistently fighting for our independence
The WBO, IBF, and WBA heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs), before the fight with Anthony Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs), said in an interview with The Telegraph that Ukrainians are fighting for freedom, independence and are protecting the country's culture.
"I am motivated by the people of Ukraine, who fight hard for our independence, protect our freedom and protect our culture, which other people want to demolish and destroy; they do not want Ukraine to exist.
I talk to a lot of guys who are on the front line. I get voice and video messages from them with words of support. They pray for me and my victory.
I get news from home every day. There are positives – some of my military friends returned safe and sound."
Oleksandr Usyk told what motivated Ukrainians from the first days of the war with russia to be strong and not panic.
"If our president had left the country in the first days of the war, Ukrainians would have been left without hope. But he didn't do it. It motivated us to be strong and fight. I am sure that if our president had been someone else, we would not have moved in the positive direction that we did.
In the fight with Joshua, I will show that Ukraine is a country of serious, strong, developed, and spiritual people. I know the situation because I am in contact with Zelensky's entourage. He took all responsibility upon himself. When a difficult situation arises, many try to avoid it. But Zelensky did not flee after russia's invasion.
Other countries said they could take him out of Ukraine, but Zelensky stayed for the sake of his country. What do people like me and other Ukrainians think when they see him acting this way? Everyone understood that we should go out and fight for our leader," Usyk said.
On August 20, Oleksandr Usyk will hold a second fight with Anthony Joshua in Jeddah. In the first fight, the Ukrainian confidently won by points, winning the championship belts.
Ukrainians will be able to watch the Usyk-Joshua rematch for free
Oleksandr Krasiuk, the promoter of the WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight title holder Oleksandr Usyk, said that Usyk bought the rights to broadcast the rematch with Anthony Joshua with his own funds.
"This is a gift from Oleksandr Usyk because he obtained these rights with his own money and wanted to give them to the Ukrainian people for free so that every willing Ukrainian could watch this fight live. Therefore, as of today, we understand that we need to maximize this fight's distribution. Our partners Megogo will form this signal. The signal will come on the regional TV channels of Suspilne. For example, someone who does not have access to the Internet or Megogo will be able to watch this match live on this TV channel. Also, this match will be broadcast on YouTube on Oleksandr Usyk's official channel. And most likely, this match will be broadcast by another of our partners, the company Pari-Match on its website and in its application," Krasiuk explained.
The main purpose of the broadcast is to help Ukraine
The promoter emphasized that the task of Usyk's team is to make the maximum number of contacts with the audience. The boxer's foundation uses this opportunity to raise money to help Ukraine.
"During the live broadcast, anyone who wants will have the opportunity to contribute to the victory with the help of a QR code. Also, all money from sponsors who will help with this broadcast will go to Oleksandr Usyk's fund and will also be used to help Ukraine," the specialist said.
"Actually, this time, it is not just a sporting event. The sporting event is in the background here. This is the method that Oleksandr wants to use. After all, he founded his charitable fund, which works quite successfully, helping people and the armed forces. There is never too much help, so as part of this broadcast, money will be collected, and then Oleksandr himself will publicly report how this money was used. With such an appeal, I think Oleksandr himself will address his compatriots and his fans closer to the match. Everyone being able and willing to help Ukraine, let them do it. And our task is to make the process itself as accessible and simple as possible for anyone," Krasyuk added.
Fundraising for the needs of the Armed Forces will be open throughout the broadcast. Oleksandr Usyk and his partners aim to raise $1 million, which will be used to purchase 100 cars for defenders of Ukraine. If the number of donations exceeds 1 million dollars, part of the funds will be spent on food kits that will be given to IDPs and people in need.
- The match will be broadcast on August 20 on channel 2+2 at 10:00 p.m.
