Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter explains star’s temporary detainment

OLEKSANDR Usyk was in good spirits despite a dramatic airport ordeal that saw the unified heavyweight ruler handcuffed and briefly detained by police in Poland. After defeating Tyson Fury in May, Usyk is busy preparing for their December 21 rematch while keeping an eye on Anthony Joshua’s clash with Daniel Dubois this weekend. 

However, before he could make it to London, the Ukrainian master was dealing with heavyweight issues of a different kind. Polish law enforcement had manhandled him following a miscommunication that was swiftly resolved.

Dear Friends. A misunderstanding took place. It was quickly resolved. Thanks to all who got concerned. Thanks to Ukrainian diplomats for the efficient support. And respect to Polish Police for conducting their obligations with no regards to height, weight, reach and regalia.

— Oleksandr Usyk (@usykaa) September 17, 2024

Explaining the incident, Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk, said that Usyk and a friend were taking a flight from Krakow to Thessaloniki and were tired following an 11-hour drive.

“Usyk had a “priority” queue for boarding, and his friend a general queue,” continued Krassyuk.

“While waiting for boarding, Oleksandr’s friend fell asleep on the seats in the waiting area. After the announcement of the start of boarding, Usyk woke up his friend and said that he would wait for him at the exit. After passing the passport and boarding pass check, Usyk was left to wait for his friend. It all started with this. 

“Employees of the airline somehow strangely established the condition of the other Oleksandr [Usyk’s friend] as “deep alcoholic intoxication” and did not allow him to board the flight. Usyk began to find out the reason for the denial with Ryanair employees, but they refused to give an explanation, calling the police.”

As the situation escalated, Usyk refused to fly without his friend and would not leave the boarding zone until Ukrainian diplomacy arrived to quell the tension. Having been threatened by police with handcuffs, Usyk willingly put out his hands, and the policeman handcuffed the heavyweight star.

According to Krassyuk, an “unpleasant conversation” took place between police and airline employees, although by this point, the Consul General of Ukraine had arrived, as employees gave their explanations of the event. 

“It is difficult to say whether the lunar eclipse clouded the consciousness of the employees of the airline and the police, or the desire to get to know the outstanding heavyweight champion. However, we can definitely say that the Poles celebrated the anniversary of Usyk’s victory over Glowacki in Gdansk, Poland in 2016 in a unique way.

“So, thank God, the incident is over. We will wait for an official apology and compensation from the airline Ryanair and the explanations from the Polish law enforcement officers,” the K2 kingpin added.