Oleksandr Usyk has reportedly inked a one-year “agreement on football cooperation” with Ukrainian soccer organization Tavriya Simferopol. The unified heavyweight champion will reportedly wear number 17 for the soccer club.
Usyk may be well known for his talent inside the ring, but he grew up playing soccer. He trained with Tavriya Simferopol as a teenager and appeared in a match on behalf of FC Polissya last year.
“I respect and am proud of this man. His attitude to training is a great example for the Polissia team,” FC Polissya President Gennadiy Butkevych said last week.
In addition to landing a deal with Tavriya Simferopol, Usyk has begun training for the next defense of his heavyweight titles. On August 26, he will share the ring with WBA “Regular” Heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois in Poland. Coming off of two consecutive wins against Anthony Joshua, Usyk enters the bout as a massive -1400 favorite.
“The only thing he could see in my eyes was light. Do I look like a man afraid of Daniel [Dubois]? He has no confidence. He’s just talking about confidence,” Usyk said about Dubois.
“He’s a little bit too young and too emotional.”
