Oleksandr Usyk took aim at "weak" Russian president Vladimir Putin after giving his fellow Ukrainians a shot in the arm by beating Anthony Joshua for a second time.
Usyk outpointed Joshua in Saudi Arabia last night to retain his three heavyweight world titles and set up a potential undisputed clash with fellow champion Tyson Fury. Usyk's preparations for the fight had been disrupted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine with the 35-year-old initially taking up arms.
He was eventually persuaded to focus on his training camp and produced another impressive performance against an improved Joshua in Jeddah. And when he reflected on the victory, Usyk said of Putin: "Everything he shows is just to show that he's strong, but he's not. Otherwise he wouldn't show how strong, how big he is. In reality, he is very weak."
