KYIV, Ukraine – World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has left Ukraine, where he returned after the Russian invasion broke out, to prepare for a rematch against Anthony Joshua, his agent told AFP on Friday.
“He went abroad to prepare for this revenge,” his agent living in Kyiv, Yaroslav Lordkipanidze, explained by telephone.
The 35-year-old boxer, holder of the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight belts since his victory over the Briton in September, left his country “several days ago”, said his manager without further details.
The Ukrainian boxer had declared that he “would defend
This second fight against Joshua, who immediately demanded a rematch after his unanimous defeat by the judges in September, could take place this summer.
Like Usyk, several Ukrainian athletes have joined their country to help defend it, including former world lightweight champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Vasiliy Lomachenko, who returned home to Belgorod-Dnistrovsky, near from Odessa.
General mobilization having been declared in Ukraine, men aged 18 to 60 cannot leave the country without authorization.
To find out more about the sporting consequences of the war in Ukraine, consult our file, as well as the file of our colleagues from Noovo Info.
