Thunder is rumbling on two fronts for Oleksandr Usyk: the boxing ring as he prepares to face Tyson Fury. DAZN PPV This Saturday, the war-ravaged fields of his homeland. In exclusive Mail Sport interviewHe shared a poignant moment that went beyond just sports. The Ukrainian heavyweight champion carefully uncovered a letter from a front-line soldier with the same name, Oleksandr, with the call sign “Shekit”. This Ukrainian Armed Forces fighter poured his soul onto paper, praising Usyk for carrying the torch of Ukrainian boxing.
The letter began: “Dear Mr. Oleksandr.” “My brothers and I watch all your battles whenever possible and support you wholeheartedly.” Those words echoed like gunfire, loaded with emotion and pride. The soldier recounted his brutal deployments in Kiev, Bakhmut, and Kherson, describing how each of Usyk's victories glowed like a fiery beacon piercing the darkness of war. “We know what hard work is and what every victory is worth,” he wrote, linking the blood and sweat of the battlefield to the spirit of the boxing ring.
Usyk, who once volunteered for the Regional Defense Forces in Kiev to protect his homeland, felt every blow he uttered like a call to arms. When he finished reading, he looked up, his eyes burning with conviction. “This gives me extra motivation,” he declared. “I am very grateful to Oleksandr and our Ukrainian soldiers who support my country and fight to protect it. I am doing this for them.”
Mail Sport joined him in camp ahead of his December 21 rematch with Fury. But off the ropes, the conflict in Ukraine looms like a storm cloud.
