On the evening of September 17, an incident occurred at Krakow airport involving Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk, who was detained while trying to board a plane to Valencia, Spain. Usyk was planning to begin training for a rematch against Tyson Fury. Details of the incident vary depending on the source.
First Version
According to ESPN, Usyk was detained after an airline representative determined that he and his trainer, Sergey Lapin, were unfit to travel. The source noted that the boxer and his trainer were exhausted after a nearly 14-hour trip from Kyiv. Usyk, according to the source, tried to explain the situation, but the language barrier and his categoricalness led to his detention.
Second Version
Polish promoter Andrzej Wasilewski claims that the detention occurred due to the refusal of airport services to let Usyk’s friend on board for “unexplained reasons.” As a result, the boxer refused to fly alone and opposed the detention of his friend, which led to the arrest of both of them. The promoter clarified that it was Usyk’s trainer, Serhiy Lapin.
After Usyk's detention, Ukrainian athlete and politician Zhan Beleniuk reported on the incident. The boxer's wife, Kateryna Usyk, said that everything was fine and the athlete would soon explain everything. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the detention by sending the Consul General of Ukraine to Krakow to clarify the circumstances. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed indignation at the situation and announced that Usyk had been released.
