"A very important message can be carried" - Vitali Klitschko gives blessing for Oleksandr Usyk rematch with Anthony Joshua
Vitali Klitschko has given his thoughts on Oleksandr Usyk leaving his country in wartime to rematch Anthony Joshua.
'The Cat' and 'AJ' fought for the first time in September 2021. While the Brit was a massive favorite on home soil, he was outworked and outboxed. Usyk wound up dominating the fight en route to a unanimous decision victory that saw him claim heavyweight gold. Following the bout, Joshua activated his rematch clause.
The rematch was put in doubt due to Usyk's home country being invaded by Russia. When the war began, the heavyweight champion joined the military. However, he's since gained clearance to leave the country to train for his bout against Joshua.
Former Heavyweight Champion and current mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, has given his take. In an interview with The Telegraph, 'Dr. Ironfist' believes that Usyk leaving the country is the right call, and he gave his blessing.
He said:
“A very important message could be carried through an event like this. We do not know if in three months we will exist. I actually have plans to speak to Oleksandr Usyk to give him advice if he decides to make the fight, to have some special messages that he can put out there.”
See Vitali Klitschko's interview with The Telegraph below:
“We are fighting for freedom. We are all targets. It’s like a horror movie with no finish.”
Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko speak exclusively to @GarethADaviesDT from Ukraine telegraph.co.uk/boxing/2022/03…
Wladimir Klitschko also agrees with Oleksandr Usyk leaving Ukraine
While Oleksandr Usyk already had the support of the elder Klitschko brother, he now has the support of the younger one as well.
Like his older brother, Wladimir Klitschko is also an outspoken critic of Russia's invasion of his home country. After winning many heavyweight titles and becoming one of the most famed boxers of all time, he decided to stay in the Ukraine in retirement.
Two months ago, Wladimir joined the reserve military forces in advance of a possible Russian invasion. That fear sadly became a reality last month, and the 46-year-old has been in the public spotlight ever since as an outspoken figure against the war.
In the same interview with The Telegraph, he too, gave his support to Oleksandr Usyk. He said:
"To have the Ukrainian flag raised, our anthem played and one of our ambassadors out there in the world with the right mindset could be more positive than negative. We need support. Since the beginning of the war, the economy is down to nothing, but please don’t forget we are defending democratic principles of freedom and free choice.”