Usyk shares emotional letter from Ukrainian soldier ahead of Fury rematch

Thunder rumbles on two fronts for Oleksandr Usyk: the boxing arena where he is preparing to fight Tyson Fury. DAZN PPV this Saturday, and the fields of his homeland devastated by war. exclusively Sports Mail Interviewshared a moving moment that transcended mere sport. The Ukrainian heavyweight carefully unfolded a letter from a frontline soldier who bore the same name, Oleksandr, callsign “Shket.” This Ukrainian Armed Forces fighter put his soul into the role and praised Usyk for carrying the torch of Ukrainian boxing.

“Dear Mr. Oleksandr,” the letter began. “My brothers and I watch all your fights whenever possible and we support you wholeheartedly.” Those words rang out like gunshots, loaded with emotion and pride. The soldier recounted the brutal dispatches in kyiv, Bakhmut and Kherson, and described how each of Usyk’s victories burns like a beacon of fire piercing the darkness of war. “We know what hard work is and what every victory is worth,” he wrote, linking the blood and sweat of the battlefield to the spirit of the boxing ring.

Usyk, who once enlisted in kyiv’s Territorial Defense to protect his homeland, felt every syllable of the blow like a call to arms. When he finished reading, he looked up, his eyes alight with conviction. “This gives me extra motivation,” he declared. “I am very grateful to Oleksandr and our Ukrainian soldiers who support my country and fight to protect it. “I do this for them.”

Mail Sport joined him in camp ahead of his December 21 rematch against Fury. But beyond the ropes, the conflict in Ukraine looms like a storm cloud.