Polish police detained Oleksandr Usyk at an airport on Tuesday evening, with footage of the world heavyweight champion shockingly seen in handcuffs. It’s thought Usyk was travelling ahead of attending the huge fight between Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua.
A video surfaced online showing Usyknodding his head in agreement to authorities before being detained at Krakow Airport. Usyk is seen surrounded by at least five officers who proceed to handcuff the boxer and escort him through a corridor.
A second uploaded video showed Usyk being taken away by an officer who physically held onto his handcuffs. A follow-up official was present to lead Usyk through the facilities as circurmstances surrounding his arrest still remain unkown.
Ukrainian politician Zhan Beleniuk responded to the news on social media, writing, “Oleksandr Usyk was arrested at Krakow airport. The circumstances are being clarified.”
Usyk’s wife, Kateryna, attempted to ease the concerns. She wrote, “Everything is fine, everything is fine. Oleksandr will explain everything later. Nothing is criminal. Goodnight, everyone.”
An angry President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said he spoke to Usyk when he was officially detained. “I was outraged by this attitude towards our citizen and champion.” He instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andriy Sibiza, and the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, to immediately find out all the details of the incident at the Krakow airport. He added: “As soon as I was informed that everything is fine, our champion was released and no one is detaining him anymore.”
Just hours before the video surfaced, the Ukrainian was seen in his latest Instagram story suiting up for FC Polissya. Usyk signed a one-season deal with the Ukrainian football club in 2023 while continuing to defend his boxing world titles.
DON’T MISS
The 37-year-old boxer is also actively preparing for his highly anticipated rematch against Tyson Fury, scheduled for Dec 21st. As part of those preparations, Usyk recently promoted a contest on social media, inviting aspiring fighters and fans to apply for a chance to become an official sparring partner in his training camp.
Oleksandr and Kateryna Usyk have been married since 2009. Kateryna’s primary focus is running the family foundation. Together, they have three children: Kyrylo, Mykhailo, and Yelizaveta Usyk.
