Claire Reid
Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk says Russian soldiers shot at his house and dragged away his neighbours while he was there defending his country.
The 35-year-old signed up to the territorial defence battalion after Ukraine was invaded by Russia and has recently opened up about what he saw there.
Usyk, who has since left the country, told Profiboxing: “I know they shot at our house, broke down the gate, and dragged away some of our neighbours. But I don’t know what it looks like there now. We can’t get in touch with anyone.
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"It’s terrible when yours run to hide in the basement at every rustle.”
The fighter also dismissed claims he had fired a gun after he was photographed holding one.
He went on: “I came back via Poland. It took a day to get to Kyiv. Then another two to see my family and I calmed down a bit. I may have picked up a gun, but that doesn’t mean I would use it.”
He had previously told the media he had no inventions of killing anyone but would if he had to.
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Speaking to CNN he said: “If they will want to take my life, or the lives of my close ones, I will have to do it.
“But I don't want that. I don't want to shoot, I don't want to kill anybody, but if they will be killing me, I will have no choice."
Usyk is currently in Poland where he is training for his rematch against Brit Anthony Joshua, who he beat last September.
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The rematch looked as though it was off the cards after Usyk returned to his home country amid the invasion.
However, he’s now confirmed he plans to return to training so the match can go ahead in June, which is good news for Joshua, who is said to be ‘over the moon’ about the prospect of stepping into the ring with Usyk.
Promoter Eddie Hearn told the Mirror: “He’s excited by the news, he’s over the moon.
“I saw him at the UFC and he wants to fight now. He was getting to a stage where he had to fight, and this has really forced the issue with Usyk because we said to them that we understood the situation, but we needed to know now."
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