As Oleksandr Usyk heard the words “and still”, he winced more than he had done under the impact of any of Anthony Joshua’s punches. While the Ukrainian’s heavy left hand was raised by the referee, his face contorted as he tried to trap the swell of tears. With his right, the world heavyweight champion reached over his head and hoisted his nation’s flag above his shoulders then dragged it down over his face – wishing to hide, for just one brief moment.
Moments later, in the refuge of his locker room in the Jeddah Superdome, an emotional Usyk was welcomed by messages from a unique set of friends and fans. “He received videos from the soldiers deep in the ground on the battlefield, who were watching his fight live on smartphones,” Usyk’s promoter and compatriot Alex Krassyuk tells The Independent, referencing their countrymen who were fighting Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces in Ukraine. “The guys on the frontline, they were sending Usyk words of support. This is something that cannot be expressed in words; the spirit he gives is motivation for the guys who are battling for the light. He is giving them incentive to live, fight for their homeland, struggle for freedom.”
