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Victor Petkov
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Usyk says he will rebuild Ukraine ‘piece by piece” ahead of Duboius bout on Saturday
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The Ukrainian boxing superstar directed back the attention of the world towards the war in his home country

Oleksandr Usyk, the reigning unified world heavyweight boxing champion, has used the build-up to his high-stakes bout against Britain’s Daniel Dubois to bring renewed global attention to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Just days before their fight for the undisputed heavyweight title at London’s Wembley Stadium, Usyk stepped away from the ring spotlight to deliver a powerful message in support of his homeland.

Appearing in Trafalgar Square alongside billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, Usyk unveiled a replica of the Ukrainian mosaic “Kestrel,” a cultural piece nearly destroyed in Mariupol, a city now under Russian control. The 38-year-old champion, who holds the WBC, WBA, and WBO belts, stood before a gathered crowd and passionately condemned the devastation wrought by Russia’s invasion.

“Russia is destroying my hometown, my country. Russia is destroying hospitals, Russia is destroying schools, Russia is destroying the lives of Ukrainians,” Usyk said.

“But we will survive. We will rebuild our country like this mosaic, piece by piece.”

As the fight week progresses, Usyk and Dubois will continue their preparations. An open workout is scheduled for Wednesday, followed by a press conference on Thursday, and the weigh-in on Friday.