Oleksandr Usyk has established himself as one of the greatest boxers of this generation by conquering the heavyweight division in recent years, following up on his insane run of domination at cruiserweight. Yet, whilst earning the respect and praise of boxing fans around the globe for his attitude and personality, as well as his skills, the Ukrainian sensation ran into trouble with the authorities last night and it has now been revealed why.
Usyk claimed the four cruiserweight world titles in three separate fights on away soil, travelling to the backyards of Krzystof Glowacki, Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev during a legendary streak at 200lbs. However, despite his success, Usyk was overlooked for the most part when he moved up to heavyweight, with the general consensus being that the slick southpaw was simply too small to continue his form against the bigger men.
Although, those doubters were soon proved run when Usyk defeated Derek Chisora and then twice schooled Anthony Joshua to become the unified heavyweight champion, before his history-making battle with Tyson Fury this year – where he became the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era in an instant classic encounter.
As the clock ticks down to a hotly-anticipated rematch with ‘The Gypsy King’, shocking news that Usyk had been arrested by Polish authorities hit the press last night.
🚨Footage of Oleksandr Usyk being taken into custody in Poland earlier today. Usyk has since been released🚨 pic.twitter.com/FOR2eOvbx3
— Boxing Kingdom (@BoxingKingdom14) September 17, 2024
Now, it has been explained why the unified heavyweight world champion was pictured in handcuffs, as per ESPN sources.
“A source told ESPN that Usyk, a native of Ukraine, was detained after he attempted to board a flight to Valencia, Spain, where he is set to begin preparations for his Dec. 21 heavyweight championship rematch with Tyson Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Usyk and his trainer, Sergey Lapin, were denied boarding after an airline official determined they were not fit to travel, a source said.”
“According to a source, Usyk explained that they were fine to fly and were simply exhausted from a nearly 14-hour travel day from Kyiv, the capital of war-torn Ukraine, that included a 557-mile drive. Between the language barrier and Usyk being adamant that they were not impaired in any way, he was detained.”
On social media, Usyk gave credit to those who arrested him for not giving him a free pass just because of his celebrity and status as the world’s greatest pound-for-pound fighter.
Dear Friends. A misunderstanding took place. It was quickly resolved. Thanks to all who got concerned. Thanks to Ukrainian diplomats for the efficient support. And respect to Polish Police for conducting their obligations with no regards to height, weight, reach and regalia.
— Oleksandr Usyk (@usykaa) September 17, 2024
“A misunderstanding took place,”
“It was quickly resolved. Thanks to all who got concerned. Thanks to Ukrainian diplomats for the efficient support. And respect to Polish Police for conducting their obligations with no regards to height, weight, reach and regalia.”
Usyk will rematch Fury on December 21st at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh and it appears as though his training camp will begin any day now in Valencia in preparation for a second showdown with the Brit.
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