Besides the deep love for boxing that has turned him into a World Heavyweight Champion, Oleksandr Usyk has another sport he adores. We are talking about soccer and he even took his passion to new heights by becoming a professional footballer.
Back in February 2022, Oleksandr Usyk made his soccer debut with a professional team when he entered the pitch during a match for FC Polissya. It was during the Ukrainian 2022 Winter Cup and he played for a good 15 minutes.
Looking at the impression he made, Oleksandr Usyk has power when he makes his sprints and great decision-making skills with the ball at his feet. During that game, he played as a right winger and associated himself well with the other forwards.
On Wednesday, Oleksandr Usyk took everybody by surprise by actually signing a new contract that ties him to FC Polissya. Usyk signed a contract for the next year and this initially won’t affect his pro boxing career.
In principle, Usyk should be able to defend his WBA, IBF and WBO Heavyweight titles while also playing for his new club. According to the announcement, Oleksandr Usyk will play as a forward and he is starting to train with his teammates ASAP.
This is the very same club for which he made his debut as a soccer player. Oleksandr Usyk looked happy signing his new contract with this Ukrainian Second Division club.
According to the initial information, Oleksandr Usyk is set to wear the club’s No. 17 on his back. While he keeps preparing for his fight against Daniel Dubois, Oleksandr Usyk won’t be able to train with his teammates.
As soon as he finishes that fight, he will get into the team’s dynamic in order to help them as soon as possible. As a fun-fact, the club does write both his name and his nickname. We had no idea Oleksandr Usyk’s nickname is ‘The Cat’.