UKRAINIAN heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk has begged Vladimir Putin to stop slaughtering his people.
The WBA, IBF and WBO champion, who grabbed the belts off of Anthony Joshua in September, visited England last week to discuss the date and venue of the rematch with promoter Eddie Hearn.
By the time he returned to the nation he won 2012 Olympic gold for in London, it was under siege from Russia’s blood-thirsty tyrant.
Hearn believes the heartbreaking assault on the 35-year-old fighter’s homeland will not delay AJ’s must-win rerun, that is targeted for early June.
But married father-of-three Usyk clearly has far more important things on his mind and he has appealed directly to the Russian people for help.
In an Instagram video the devout Orthodox Christian said: “Good morning to everybody. My name is Oleksandr Usyk. I’d like to speak to the people of Russia.
“If we consider ourselves as brothers, Orthodox ones, do not send your children to our country, do not fight with us.
“Also I’m addressing this to the President, Vladimir Putin. You can stop this war.
“Please just sit down and negotiate it with us without claims.
“Our kids, wives, grannies are hiding in the basements. We are here in our own country, we cannot do it any other way.
“We are defending. Stop this war, stop it. No War.”
A photo circulated last week showing Usyk in military fatigues meeting with soldiers but it was taken in 2017, long before this invasion.
Fellow Ukrainian former heavyweight champion brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko have taken up arms and are defending their nation on the frontline.
Ten-year former champ Wladimir also took to social media on Saturday to plead for a truce.
The giant icon – who was dethroned by Tyson Fury in 2015 and retired by AJ in 2017 – posted an emotional video urging the world to unite against Putin’s rampage.
He said: “I am addressing the entire world to stop this war that Russia has started.
Former fighters Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko are now armed and on the front line
“Today civilians were shot with rockets, civilians are getting killed here, in the heart of Europe
“There is no time to waste.
“This is going to lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.
“You need to act now to stop Russian aggression with anything you can do.
“An hour or tomorrow will be too late, please act now, don’t wait. Stop this war.”
Usyk, 35, will not be able to train at his usual base on the outskirts of Kyiv, where Vitali is mayor.
But Hearn hopes the bloodshed does not delay the big-money battle with AJ, that is set for London or Saudi Arabia.
He said: “It’s a very personal situation and we can’t really comprehend what the Ukraine people are going through.
“People keep asking if it affects fights, I cannot tell you what Oleksandr is thinking but my guess is it won’t.
“It’s a very sensitive subject and I don’t want to speak on behalf of people whose countries are going to war. But I would guess Oleksandr will start camp in about four week’s time.
“I don’t expect it to have any bearing on Oleksandr Usyk versus Anthony Joshua.”
Derek Chisora – who famousy slapped and spat water at Klitschko before their bad-tempered fight – sympathised with Usyk and the brothers.
“My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine who this week have been forced to stand united in protecting their homes and loved ones. Civilians taking to their streets as soldiers.
“Hearing that those in the boxing fraternity, our colleagues, alongside their neighbours, are stepping into a bloody fight they didn’t sign up for and have not trained for makes the situation even more real for all of us.
“I pray for the courageous people of Ukraine in such challenging times.”
Chisora has also said ‘no to the war’
