World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk keeps Ukraine on his mind as he prepares for his next big fight

By Vasco Cotovio, Amanda Davies, Matthew Brealey and Kostya Gak, CNN

Gandia, Spain (CNN) — Perched on Spain’s eastern coast, the touristy town of Gandia may not look like an obvious home for one of Ukraine’s biggest stars, but it’s here that world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is basing himself ahead of his next fight.

Quieter than other towns in the vicinity, its geography and climate confer it a surprising but important characteristic for Usyk and his team: it looks and feels like southern Crimea.

The links to Usyk’s home province and country don’t stop there. Step inside his base – a co-working center turned fortress and gym – and you will see references to Ukraine everywhere.

From the yellow and blue splashed on most walls, to the numerous flags, symbols and memorabilia he personally selected, Ukraine – and the war of survival it’s going through – are very much at the forefront of Usyk’s mind.

“It’s a little difficult to balance things when your family is in Kyiv,” the WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight champion told CNN Sports.

Throughout the day, CNN witnesses him interacting with his two sons – hugging them, sharing jokes and even playing a little bit of soccer. They joined him at his training camp and, here, he knows they are safe. But some of his family have stayed behind in Ukraine.

“My two daughters and my wife,” he said. “But I just know that my Ukrainian people and my Ukrainian soldiers will protect them.”

When he’s not preparing for a fight, Usyk himself spends most of his time at the family home in Kyiv, so he knows all too well what his family is going through every night, as Russian drones and bombs continue to batter cities around the country.

He avoids the news as he tries to stay focused on his training, explaining it “would be a distraction.”

Still, the connections he’s made in the military – he joined Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 and has visited the frontlines on several occasions – means he’s immediately updated when something serious happens.

“The guys who are defending my country are on the front,” Usyk explained to CNN. “I have information that is sent to me. When things are dangerous, they tell me.”

They also share Ukraine’s successes, like the daring drone strikes the nation carried out on Russian air bases deep within the country.

“I would like to express my deep gratitude to Vasyl Vasyliovych (Malyuk, head of Ukraine’s Security Services [SBU]) – boss, great job,” he said, with a grin, beating his chest with his clenched fist. He added that he’s messaged the SBU chief as well.

But while a “distraction” from training is what Usyk wants to avoid as he prepares to unify the world heavyweight title for the second time in his career against Great Britain’s Daniel Dubois on July 19, distractions from the grueling and bloody battles at the front are a welcome break and exactly what his fellow soldiers need to take their minds away from the war.

“We try not to talk about the scary things they do to defend our country. What is happening there, what kind of shelling is happening, how they are being attacked, how they are heroically defending our country,” Usyk explained. “They’re more interested in what I’m doing. When I ask them questions, they say, ‘Wait, wait, wait. Tell us about yourself, what’s going on with you?’”

“At that moment, I show them videos of our training sessions,” he added.

Those moments are small respite for those fighting to defend Ukrainian sovereignty, roughly three years and three months after Moscow’s armies marched on Ukraine. But for the soldiers and Usyk, the war began long before with the annexation of his home in Crimea in 2014, just one year after he became a professional boxer.

The war, he admitted to CNN Sports, has played a defining role in his development as an athlete.

“I think that, in a way, it motivated me to do something for my country,” he said, adding that he’s not just fighting for himself.

He’s also used his platform to fundraise for Ukraine and frequently addresses the war and other issues facing his country on his social media accounts, advocating for his country and his people.

To that end, he has also pleaded with US President Donald Trump for more support, offering to host him at his family home, so he can experience what it’s like to live as Ukrainians do, under the threat of constant bombardment and air raids.

Yet despite all of his work outside the ring, he has remained an undefeated 23-0 in his career with 14 wins coming by way of knockout. And he is confident he’ll keep up his perfect record against Dubois at Wembley Stadium too.

“How confident am I? One hundred percent. 100,000,000%,” he told CNN Sports.

“It’s difficult (to tune out the war), but I can switch off to do my job so that I can help my country more later on.”

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