Oleksandr Usyk: Heavyweight champion signs contract with Ukrainian team Polissya

Tosin Abayomi 17:00 - 20 July 2023

Usyk, the heavyweight champion, inked a one-year "agreement on football cooperation" with the team on Wednesday and would don the number 17 jersey.

Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk signs a contract with Ukrainian team Polissya.

Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk signed a deal with Ukrainian team Polissya and is set to trade his boxing gloves for football boots, meaning he can no longer participate at Wembley in a unification match versus Tyson Fury.

Usyk, the heavyweight champion, inked a one-year "agreement on football cooperation" with the team on Wednesday and would don the number 17 jersey.

As a teenager, Usyk played football with Tavriya Simferopol of Ukraine before transitioning to boxing.

Usyk claims that his ability to continue his illustrious boxing career is due to the Ukrainian people's contributions to the war effort.

Previously, in a friendly game last year, the 36-year-old substituted for Polissya.

Oleksandr Usyk joins Polissya

Polissya president Gennadiy Butkevych said in a statement on Thursday, “I respect and am proud of this man.

Oleksandr Usyk, the current IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO heavyweight world champion, has stated that he wants to honor Ukraine when he fights Daniel Dubois of Great Britain on August 26 in Wroclaw.

"His attitude to training is a great example for the Polissia team,”

After winning the top spot in the second-tier Ukrainian First League last season, Polissya was promoted and will compete in the Ukrainian Premier League in 2023–24.