In a remarkable announcement two weeks ago, it was revealed by Oleksandr Usyk that he intends to run for the Ukrainian presidency once he retires from boxing.
The current IBF, WBA and WBC heavyweight world champion rolled out a three-fight retirement plan that starts with a crossover clash with former Glory kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza on May 23.
Prior to the announcement that he intends to hang up his gloves in the not-too-distant future, Usyk opened up on the subject of leading Ukraine in an interview on Andrii Biedniakov’s YouTube channel: “I plan to box for a few more years, and then I have plans to work for the state.”
Usyk will not be the first Ukrainian heavyweight world champion to divert his career toward public service. Vitali Klitschko rose to become the Mayor of Kyiv in 2014, having previously worked as an advisor to former president Viktor Yushchenko and also held the position as the Head of the Kyiv City State Administration.
However, Klitschko’s compatriot has his eyes set on the top job. “I’m not going to settle for anything less than president,” Usyk added.
Usyk’s recent comments come after an intriguing recent history in Ukrainian politics. Former actor and comedian Volodymyr Zelenskyy took the seat of president in 2019 following the hit TV series Servant of the People, in which he played a fictional schoolteacher who would rise to lead his country as president. Zelenskyy and Usyk have had very different careers ahead of any political work, but both are traditionally political outsiders.
Boxing Social spoke to prominent Ukrainian sports journalist Oleksandr Chepilko to get a closer perspective on Usyk’s political plans.
“In my opinion, Usyk is the type of man who has been interested in working for the government and other public activities for many years,” Chepilko explained. “He has never been only a boxer. He has always had a lot of influence in Ukraine from a cultural point of view. I think the Ukrainian people are just tired of traditional politicians, because Ukraine has sadly had many years of bad history with traditional politicians. Ukraine has lost faith in the type of politicians they have been accustomed to and have instead reverted to supporting famous Ukrainians who never had any political experience.”
Zelenskyy and Ukraine have experienced a traumatic few years, with neighboring Russia invading thier country to start a full-blown war in 2022, which still rages at the time of writing. Russia had previously annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea in 2014 shortly after the Revolution of Dignity, which saw the reigning president at the time turn away from closer ties with Europe and reportedly move closer to Russia. Uysk was in fact born and raised on the Crimean Peninsula.
“The war in 2014 started after President Viktor Yanukovych ran away because of his crimes against the people,” Chepilko said, explaining the protest that saw 123 people killed. Chepilko was a resident in Kyiv at the time. “And we have many other examples, maybe not as extreme as Yanukovych, but there are countless examples involving corruption and other issues.
“I don’t think Usyk’s decision to enter politics is solely due to the ongoing war. As I said earlier, he has always been thinking about this type of career after boxing. We won’t know if Usyk can be a successful politician until after a couple of years of leadership. He has made all the right statements, but being a president is extremely hard work and you can’t do it alone. He’ll need a highly experienced team. So we’ll see how he manages it. But Usyk is a very smart man who can make decisions independently.”
