The Ukrainian has spoken about his love for football after he was seen featuring in the ‘Legends Charity Game’ on Monday evening
Oleksandr Usyk has spoken out after he was spotted taking part in a charity football match despite sustaining some minor injuries following his clash with Daniel Dubois.
On Monday evening, the undisputed heavyweight champion featured in the ‘Legends Charity Game’ – which was held at Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon. Several football legends took part in the match, including Luis Figo, Pepe, Ricardo Carvalho, Deco, Kaka, Peter Schmeichel, Petr Cech, Edwin van der Sar, Carles Puyol, Cafu and Michael Owen.
Pepe, Figo, Pauleta and Helder Postiga all scored as Portugal legends secured a 4-1 win over World legends in the inaugural Legends Charity Game. One of the biggest surprises from the match saw the Ukrainian swap the boxing gloves for the football boots. Usyk played 17 minutes in the first half and 6 minutes in the second half.
The aim of the charity match was to raise over €1,000,000 for several charitable organisations, including the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, Portuguese Red Cross, International Alert, and Caritas Portuguesa. Fans were left stunned after Usyk took part in the game despite having to postpone his mandatory world title defence against Joseph Parker due to an injury claim.
READ MORE: Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul fight could still take place on one conditionREAD MORE: Terence Crawford doubles down on Ilia Topuria comments with Conor McGregor claim
The Ukrainian was previously ordered to defend his WBO gold strap against Parker after beating Daniel Dubois in July. That said, the bout has since been delayed on medical grounds and recent reports revealed that Usyk’s team had been successful in their appeal for a 90-day extension.
Despite suffering a few injuries against ‘Triple D,’ Usyk remained under the close supervision of his team and medical staff in Lisbon. Speaking about the charity match, the two-time undisputed heavyweight champion said: “Football is my childhood dream. Now I want to help Ukrainian children to make their dreams come true. The Usyk Foundation raises money to help sixty four families have a home again. This is just a drop in the ocean — a million of Ukrainians have lost their homes. But we do what we can.” He added: “I consider sport as a very powerful tool to make the world better.”
Usyk, 38, participated as a guest, but also wanted to draw attention to his own charitable initiative – the Usyk Foundation. The current fundraising campaign by his foundation aims to raise €3million (£2.5m) for the ‘construction of new housing for 64 Ukrainian families who lost their homes due to Russia’s full-scale invasion.’
Last month, Usyk grabbed the headlines after he was filmed dancing at a music concert. After the clip went viral online, Parker’s promoter – David Higgins – was quick to question the Ukrainian’s injury. “I haven’t actually seen the medical evidence but you would think that a serious injury would prevent that sort of activity,” he said. While Usyk is not expected to return this year, Parker will have at least one more fight before facing the Ukrainian. The Kiwi heavyweight will take on British star Fabio Wardley in London on October 25.
When is the next boxing fight?
Oscar Collazo and Jayson Vayson are set to go head-to-head in a mouthwatering showdown on Saturday night. The fight is set to take place at Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio. The main undercard will likely start at around 2am Sunday morning UK time (9pm ET / 8pm CT / 6pm PT).
In the main event, Vayson will likely make the walk to the ring first at around 4am Sunday morning UK time (11pm ET / 10pm CT / 8pm PT). Fans will be able to watch all of the action live on DAZN and will be shown in over 200 countries via a DAZN subscription.
