Ukraine's Usyk Motivated By Boxing And Memory Of Dead Friend

Paris, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2023 ) :Ukraine's world heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk has told AFP he has two goals this year -- a unification title fight with Tyson Fury and rebuilding the house where his "good friend" was killed by Russian soldiers.

Oleksiy Dzhunkivskyi, a former teammate of Usyk, was shot in the hall of the building in Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv.

Usyk has teamed up with the charity United24 and is raising funds to restore the badly damaged five-storey house to its former glory.

He has contributed $205,000 towards the overall cost of $330,000.

In a Zoom interview, Usyk told AFP it had been a coincidence he had selected the building to take a look.

"I randomly chose this house," the 36-year-old former cruiserweight world champion said through an interpreter.

"When we came to look at it and saw how destroyed the house was, I was a little surprised.

"In this house there was a boxing gym of my good friend. He and I were in the national team, we went to boxing competitions together.

"Oleksiy Dzhunkivskyi was shot by Russian soldiers right in this hall." When Russia invaded Ukraine last February, Usyk had wanted to take up arms immediately.

However, he was dissuaded from doing so as his compatriots felt that in his role as a sports star with global renown he could add another weapon to the Ukrainian war chest.

"The guys from the Armed Forces convinced me that I need to prepare and fight to help my country on the international stage, talk about it and bring opportunities to Ukraine to restore my country," he said.