Oleksandr Usyk is an incredible boxer, a true great of the sport, but also appears to be a pretty decent soccer player too.
The reigning IBF, WBA and WBO world heavyweight king is currently in Spain, preparing for that rescheduled unification blockbuster vs Tyson Fury. It will now go ahead (hopefully) on Saturday May 18 after a planned February 17 date was scuppered by Fury’s cut eye.
The Ukrainian genius has clearly been enjoying a little downtime outside the ring, notably to show off his soccer (football if you’re from the UK) skills against some pretty decent opposition.
The 37-year-old superstar (21-0 with 14 wins inside distance) joined Ukrainian Premier League side FC Polissya Zhytomyr at their winter training camp in Murcia, and the team’s social media crew were on hand to capture some tasty footage.
Usyk soccer skills on show
They posted a clip to X (watch it at the bottom of this page) which shows Usyk showcasing his penalty shootout skills, dispatching a spot kick perfectly in the corner of the net by sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. Beautiful disguise on the educated left foot Oleksandr – giving off Messi vibes.
Polissya are going well in their debut season in the Premier League, having won promotion in 2022-23. They sit in third place in the standings – just two points being league leaders Kryvbas KR.
Both Polissya and Usyk are now entering their respective run-ins to potentially historic achievements. A domestic title for the soccer team, and domination in another boxing division for Usyk. It promises to be some three months for both.
