Usyk compelled approach off Ryanair flight moments earlier than handcuffed by police
- Footage on social media showed Usyk being detained by police at an airport
- A member of his team has revealed why the world champion was detained
- The Ukrainian heavyweight boxer, 37, is due to be at Wembley this weekend
It has been revealed that Oleksandr Usyk was detained at Krakow airport because he forced his way off a Ryanair flight after a member of his team was denied boarding.
Footage circulated on social media on Tuesday in which the Ukrainian boxer, 37, was led away by men in uniform with his hands behind his back in handcuffs.
Usyk released a statement shortly after in which he described the incident as a ‘misunderstanding’ and thanked Ukrainian politicians for helping to resolve the issue after his release.
Mykhailo Krasiuk, who does PR for the world heavyweight champion, has now revealed the cause of why the boxer was detained in Poland.
Krasiuk wrote: ‘That was all about our team member, who brought @usykaa from Kyiv by car.’
It has been revealed that Oleksandr Usyk forced his way off a Ryanair flight before being handcuffed by police, after a member of his team had been denied boarding
Usyk (pictured with Ukraine’s Consul General in Krakow after his release) reportedly ‘tried to defend his friend’
Mykhailo Krasiuk (head of PR for Usyk) suggested why Usyk might have been handcuffed but insisted that everything was sorted out quickly
‘He was very tired after 14 hours driving and slept standing up, literally. Ryanair employees didn’t let him on the plane.’
Krasiuk in his tweet denied claims that it was Usyk’s coach Sergey Lapin who had been denied access onto the flight.
He then continued: ‘Usyk, who was already on board, returned to the gate and tried to defend our friend, like he always does.
‘Meanwhile the police appeared, maybe the champ looked so dangerous that he should have been handcuffed, IDK (I don’t know).
‘Anyways everything was sorted out briefly. Thanks for your support.’
Krasiuk didn’t specify which member of Usyk’s team had been denied access onto the flight.
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky revealed his part in Oleksandr Usyk being released after he was detained at Krakow airport in Poland.
In a message to his seven million followers on X, the president of Ukraine said: ‘I spoke with Oleksandr Usyk on the phone after he was detained.
Usyk was filmed being led away in handcuffs and Sergey Lapin claimed custom control services ‘neglected their duties’
Ukraine president Zelensky said he was ‘disappointed by the attitude’ shown towards Usyk
‘I was disappointed by this attitude towards our citizen and champion.
‘I instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, and the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, to immediately look into all the details of the incident at Kraków airport.
‘Now, everything is fine, our champion has been released, and he is no longer being detained.’
Zelensky then posted a photo of Usyk with Ukraine’s Consul General in Krakow, which was taken just after he was released.
The incident took place just days before Usyk is due to be in London to watch Anthony Joshua fight Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.
Usyk is still expected to be there ringside to watch AJ – the man he has beaten twice before.
The Ukrainian champ addressed fans shortly after the video of him in handcuffs went viral, as he wrote: ‘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.’
Usyk is due to fight Tyson Fury in a rematch on December 21 after he beat the Gypsy King on points in May to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion, coming back from a rocky few rounds in the middle of the fight to finish strongly.
Usyk released a statement shortly after the video did the rounds online, where he insisted ‘all is well’ and thanked the Ukrainian politicians for resolving the issue
Usyk is expected in London to watch Anthony Joshua fight Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium
Usyk meanwhile is scheduled to fight Tyson Fury in a rematch after his victory on points
A rematch has been scheduled for December 21, with the contract for the fight expiring on December 31. The bout has been pushed back to allow the two boxers to recover from their various facial injuries.
Usyk is currently training for the bout and revealed he has learned a lot from his victory over the Brit.
‘Now we have started, we’re going to the training camp,’ he said earlier this month.
‘From the last fight with Tyson Fury, I learned a lot about him, a lot of the things that I saw in the fight I didn’t see on TV with all the fights that I saw of Tyson Fury.
‘So we will prepare even better and God willing, with God’s victory, we will show our best shape again. I have incredible motivation. I’m often told that I’ve done everything, what is next, there is nothing further. But we just work every day , every day is a new day.’
