“The Ukrainians are hitting hard!” : Zelensky draws a parallel between the victory of boxer Usyk against Tyson Fury and that of his army

Zelensky réagit à la victoire d'Oleskandr Usyk face à Tyson Fury. MaxPPP

Oleksandr Usyk a battu le célèbre boxeur Tyson Fury lors d'un combat samedi soir. Le président ukrainien Volodymyr a réagit à cette victoire.

"Une victoire très importante"for Ukraine at war: from President Zelensky to the soldiers on the front, including artists, Ukraine enthusiastically greeted its boxer Oleksandr Usyk, who became the undisputed heavyweight champion on Sunday.

"All our opponents will be defeated"

The 37-year-old boxer, who briefly served as a soldier in the Ukrainian army after Russia's February 2022 invasion, spoke of a &amp ;quot;great moment" both "for me, for my family, for my country" after his points victory against Briton Tyson Fury on Sunday in Riyadh. "The Ukrainians hit hard! And in the end, all our adversaries will be defeated", Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky quickly reacted on Telegram.

The success of the unified champion of the four heavyweight belts shows that "Ukrainian endurance and strength give birth to Ukrainian victory" , added the head of state of the country at war. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, a former world heavyweight champion boxer, also said that Usyk had shown the world that Ukrainians are capable of defeating an opponent of size", a very important "victory for Ukraine today".

His brother Wladimir Klitschko, also a former world heavyweight champion and who attended the fight, hailed a "historic victory" from Usyk for whom "losing was not an option". "I am very proud of Oleksandr Usyk and very proud to be Ukrainian."

Fury unhappy with decision

From the side of the armed forces, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force Mykola Oleshchuk estimated that “Ukraine is showing once again that it is a strong nation capable of fighting for its identity, its language, its culture and its traditions". A combat unit posted an enthusiastic message: "Glory to Ukraine! Glory to those who defend it and to those who glorify it t!".

For TV host and actor Sergiy Prytula, Usyk "won today. And with him, Ukraine won. And when Ukraine wins, he and all of us will win with it! Congratulations to the absolute champion! "Thank you! We are proud", soberly commented singer Jamala, winner of the 2016 Eurovision contest.

By adding the WBC title of his opponent of the day to his WBA, WBO and IBF trophies, Oleksandr Usyk is the first undisputed champion in the category since Lennox Lewis, who reached the Grail in 1999 in Las Vegas following his victory against Evander Holyfield.

Not very fair play in defeat, Tyson Fury, 35, described a "fantastic fight with Oleksandr", believing however that he deserved to win instead of Usyk, and that the decision could have been influenced by the geopolitical context and the war in Ukraine.