Heavyweight world champion Alexander Usyk of Ukraine has announced that he wants to fight the planned rematch against British Anthony Joshua despite the Russian attack. Usyk said on Instagram that he had decided to start preparing. The 35-year-old had previously declared that he wanted to defend his home country with weapons.
On the video, in which Usyk speaks, a ribbon in the Ukrainian colors of yellow and blue can be seen on a house behind him. It reads, addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, “Hands off Ukraine, Putin.”
Usyk dethroned Joshua as world champion in London last September and holds the titles of the world associations WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO. A rematch was originally planned for May but was postponed due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and is now set to take place in July. “A large number of friends have decided to support me,” Usyk wrote.
Felix Sturm has missed his sixth chance for a boxing world championship. The 43-year-old lost the elimination match against the Hungarian Istvan Szili on points in Dortmund and thus missed the duel with the British Lerrone Richards for the IBO belt.
Source: Nachrichten
