Beat Fury, but don’t hit him too hard, Zelensky tells Usyk

By : AFP

Date: 20 December 2024 8:04pm WAT

This handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on October 4, 2024, shows Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky visiting the 82nd Air Assault Brigade at an undisclosed location in the Sumy region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on October 4, 2024 he had visited the Sumy region and met soldiers fighting in the offensive across the border in Russia's Kursk region. (Photo by Handout / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP) / XGTY / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with boxing star Oleksandr Usyk to be gentle with British rival Tyson Fury in their world heavyweight clash in case a battering delivers a knockout blow to a crucial arms deal.

Usyk defeated Fury in May to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and the two men meet again in Riyadh on Saturday.

“All Ukrainians are on your side. Of course, Britain is helping Ukraine in a fight against Russia,” Zelensky told Usyk on Friday in a video on Zelensky’s Telegram account.

“We respect our partners. That’s why when you beat Fury, don’t hit him too hard, because we don’t want them to ban Storm Shadow.”

British media reported last month that Ukraine had fired Storm Shadow missiles into Russia for the first time after London gave Kyiv the green light for such strikes.

The UK government refused to confirm or deny the reports.