Oleksandr Usyk has used fight week in London to highlight the ongoing war in Ukraine, making symbolic political gestures days before his heavyweight title bout with Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium. The unified champion unveiled a replica of a mosaic destroyed by Russian bombing in Mariupol and helped unveil a prosthetic limb on the statue of Florence Nightingale, both in central London.
Standing on an open-top bus in Trafalgar Square, Usyk held up three fingers to signal his aim to become a three-time undisputed champion, but his message was firmly on his homeland. 'Russia destroyed so much in my country. Russia destroyed hospitals. Russia destroyed schools. Russia destroyed Ukrainian lives. But we will survive. We will rebuild our country, like a mosaic, piece by piece,' he told the crowd.
Usyk, who comes from Simferopol in Crimea—annexed by Russia in 2014—has been outspoken on the conflict. In a recent BBC interview, he directly addressed President Putin and urged Donald Trump to visit Ukraine to witness the bombings. 'Every night there are bombs and flights above my house. Bombs, rockets. Every night. It's enough,' he said.
Alongside Sir Richard Branson, Usyk pledged to raise £2.5 million for the Usyk Foundation to build apartments for displaced families and to support the 80,000 Ukrainians requiring prosthetic limbs. The Nightingale statue, a memorial to the Crimean War, now wears a prosthetic limb painted in Ukraine's blue and yellow.
Usyk will return his focus to Dubois on Saturday night, aiming to defend his WBA, WBC, and WBO titles against the IBF champion. The pair first met in 2023, with Usyk winning controversially after a body punch was ruled low. At 38, Usyk faces a tough opponent after gruelling fights with Tyson Fury last year, but insists his priority remains Ukraine.
