Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has his much-anticipated rematch with former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury ahead of him. The duo will lock horns on December 21st at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The launch press conference for the rematch also kicked off yesterday, but today’s subject is something else. 

The Ukrainian heavyweight was detained last month in Poland, but the reason and circumstances of the situation don’t seem widely known among the populace. Here’s what happened with Oleksandr Usyk, and how he got out of the situation with help from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

Oleksandr Usyk claims misunderstanding

According to several reports, ‘The Cat’ was taken into custody on 17th September at the Krakow Airport in Poland as he tried to board a plane heading to Valencia, Spain. He was supposed to start training in the country for his December 21st mega bout against ‘The Gypsy King.’ Usyk alongside his trainer, Sergey Lapin, was stopped from boarding because an airline official determined they were not fit for travel. 

Usyk tried his best to explain to the officials that they were fine to fly, and their exhaustion was the result of traveling nonstop for nearly 14 hours from war-torn Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. The confusion in the situation had escalated because of the language barrier and Usyk’s insistence on not being impaired in any way to prevent him from flying. The public first learned about the situation when Usyk’s wife, Yekaterina, shared a video on social media.  

Yekaterina, who was traveling with Usyk and his trainer, shared the clip on social media, which showed Usyk being led away in handcuffs from the jet bridge, adding that the situation arose from “nothing criminal”. Later, Usyk himself hopped on social media to shed more light on what had actually happened to him while boarding the airplane. 

“A misunderstanding took place,” Usyk wrote. “It was quickly resolved. Thanks to all who got concerned. Thanks to Ukrainian diplomats for the efficient support. And respect to Polish Police for conducting their obligations with no regards to height, weight, reach and regalia.” After Usyk’s release, President Zelensky also commented on the matter. 

Volodymyr Zelensky expressed disappointment

Usyk has been a steadfast patriot throughout the ongoing war in Ukraine. Initially, he joined Kyiv’s territorial defense force, but he realized he could make an even greater impact by representing his country on the world stage. This led him to return to boxing. In light of Usyk’s recent troubles—President Zelensky swiftly took action and expressed his disappointment.

“I was disappointed by this attitude towards our citizen and champion,” Zelensky wrote in an X post that included a picture of Usyk and a Ukrainian official. “I instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, and the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, to immediately look into all the details of the incident at Krakow airport.”

That being said, Oleksandr Usyk has since returned to normal life—as he prepares to get in the ring against Tyson Fury later this year. Hopefully, the former undisputed heavyweight champion will have smooth sailing from here on out. What did you make of his arrest in Poland?