World heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk expressed his discontent towards former champion Tyson Fury due to his support for Russian oligarch and IBA president Umar Kremlov. The Ukrainian believes this negatively affects the situation of his Ukrainian compatriots.
«I don't like Tyson Fury. Because he supports the guy who helps to kill my Ukrainian people – Umar Kremlov. This is a bad guy. This is my opinion. But Tyson supports this guy. This Russian guy helps Russian soldiers. I don't know... Tyson – not a poor guy. He is a rich man. But I don't know why Tyson does this. This is just my opinion,» – Usyk stated.
The International Olympic Committee excluded IBA due to financial and ethical issues, as well as allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international competitions under the national symbols of the Russian Federation. IBA leader Umar Kremlov faced a bad reputation for supporting Putin and acknowledging Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois will meet in the ring on July 19 in London. The match will be for the WBA, WBO, WBC, and IBF titles. Usyk aims to regain his IBF title in a rematch with Dubois.
Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk expressed his discontent towards Tyson Fury for supporting oligarch Kremlov, which is an opinion that may hurt his Ukrainian fans. The conflict between the athletes may spark new emotions ahead of their upcoming fight.