OLEKSANDR USYK has revealed his grand plan to emulate Volodymyr Zelensky and become President of Ukraine.
Boxing‘s pound-for-pound king’s fighting days, which have seen him conquer two weight classes, are set to come to an end.
The 39-year-old plans to box for two more years before bringing the curtain down on what has been a bona fide Hall-of-Fame career.
And once he’s done schooling the best heavyweights in the world, he plans to make a run for the highest office in his homeland.
In an interview with Andriy Bednyakov, the former cruiserweight king said: “I plan to box for a few more years.
“And then I have plans to work for the state.
“I’m not going to settle for anything less than president.”
Usyk, according to a trust poll, would finish with more votes than Zelensky if an election were to be called in the war-torn country.
A recent Ipsos survey showed he has a higher trust rating than military leader Kirill Budanov and Zelensky.
His 56 per cent rating is only second to Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine‘s current ambassador to the United Kingdom, who has a rating of 63 per cent.
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There’s a massive year of boxing ahead!
It’s shaping up to be a blockbuster year of action inside the boxing ring.
Tyson Fury will make his return in April against Arslanbek Makhmudov while Oleksandr Usyk takes on the king of kickboxing Rico Verhoeven.
Conor Benn features for the first time since making the switch to Zuffa Boxing and Fabio Wardley will defend his newly won heavyweight crown.
Canelo Alvarez will be hoping to return after his defeat to Terence Crawford and heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk will also need to defend his straps.
Derek Chisora will fight for the 50th and (perhaps) final time against Deontay Wilder while Daniel Dubois is also on the comeback trail.
A whole bunch of British stars could also take a leap into superstardom, with the likes of Moses Itauma, Hamzah Sheeraz and Adam Azim ready to join the very top of the sport.
Here’s all the big fights coming up…
March
- Sat 14 – Jazza Dickens vs Anthony Cacace – WBA super-featherweight title – DAZN
- Sat 21 – George Liddard vs Tyler Denny – British & Commonwealth Middleweight title – DAZN
- Sat 28 – Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin – DAZN
- Sat 28 – Sebastian Fundora vs Keith Thurman – Amazon Prime PPV
April
- Sat 4 – Deontay Wilder vs Derek Chisora – DAZN PPV
- Sun 5 – Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper – Sky Sports
- Sat 11 – Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov – Netflix
- Sat 11 – Conor Benn vs Regis Prograis – Netflix
- Sat 18 – Callum Smith vs David Morrell – DAZN
- Sat 18 – Manny Pacquiao vs Ruslan Provodnikov
- Sat 25 – Lawrence Okolie vs Tony Yoka – DAZN
May
- Sat 2 – Zurdo Ramirez vs David Benavidez – WBA & WBO Cruiserweight titles – Prime Video
- Sat 9 – Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois – WBO title – DAZN
- Sat 23 – Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven – WBC title – DAZN
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Zelensky, a former comedian, has been a staunch supporter of Usyk over the last few years.
The pair have met twice since Russia invaded their homeland in February 2022, with their most recent meeting taking place last August.
Along with a series of snaps of himself speaking with the slick southpaw, Zelensky wrote on his social media channels: “Today, we all strive to make Ukraine’s voice strong and influential in the world.
“So that as many people as possible around the globe know the story of Ukraine’s fight for life.”
Usyk will be back in the ring on May 23, taking on former long-reigning Glory kickboxing heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven.
Their shock showdown will take place in the shadows of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt and will be for Usyk’s WBC heavyweight crown.
