WBC heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has met with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, calling Tyson Fury his ‘fat friend’ ahead of their rematch.
Oleksandr Usyk’s ‘Fat Friend’
Oleksandr Usyk met up with the president of Ukraine this week, presenting Volodymyr Zelensky with his championship belt after beating Tyson Fury in May.
Usyk was the first person to ever stop Fury in the ring and the pair are set to go head to head again, with a rematch taking place on the 21st of December in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ahead of their rematch later this year, Usyk has already been playing mind games with Fury and he was caught on camera taking a jab at ‘the Gypsy King’ when talking to the president.
Although Usyk struggles with his English, he was able to form a cheeky remark when talking to Zelensky, saying: “This is the belt I took from my fat friend in London. The original belt, we want it to stay with you. We worked for a long time to get it.”
“This is the belt I took from my fat friend in London”
Oleksandr Usyk recently showed off his new WBC Heavyweight title to politicians in Ukraine. The rematch with Tyson Fury is now under 3 months away. pic.twitter.com/jQFzEtkaU9
— Boxing Kingdom (@BoxingKingdom14) September 25, 2024
This wasn’t the first time Zelensky and Usyk have met and the pair are considered to be close, after the president played a major role in getting his champion out of trouble when he was arrested earlier this month.
Zelensky released a statement after the arrest which read: “I was outraged by this attitude towards our citizen and champion. As soon as I was informed that everything is fine, our champion was released and no one is detaining him anymore.”
Usyk wasn’t in custody long and was quickly released by the Polish authorities on Zelensky’s orders.
Both Fury and Usyk were spotted together at Wembley last weekend, with the heavyweight giants watching on from ringside as Daniel Dubois flattened Anthony Joshua in a British clash for the ages.
With the fight just under three months away, the pair will begin their press conferences and media build up for the rematch soon and this was probably the last time they exchange pleasantries until the clash.
