Oleksandr Usyk was arrested at Krakow airport on Tuesday, but was later released after the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry intervened.
The information was confirmed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on social media. Usyk had not been deemed fit to board.
A source told ESPN that the world heavyweight champion was briefly detained after trying to board a flight to Valencia, Spain, where he is scheduled to begin preparing for his rematch with Tyson Fury on Dec. 21. Usyk and his trainer Sergey Lapin were not allowed to board after an airline official determined they were unfit to travel, the source said.
According to the source, Usyk explained that they were fit to fly and were simply exhausted from a nearly 14-hour travel day from kyiv, the capital of war-torn Ukraine. Between the language barrier and Usyk’s insistence that they were not under the influence of any substances, they missed their flight.
Usyk’s wife Katheryna, who was traveling with her husband and Sergey Lapin, posted a video on social media showing Oleksandr Usyk being taken to the jetway in handcuffs. However, she clarified that it was “not a criminal case.”
“A misunderstanding has occurred,” Oleksandr Usyk wrote on social media. “It was quickly resolved. Thanks to everyone who felt concerned. Thanks to Ukrainian diplomats for their effective support. And respect to the Polish police for fulfilling their obligations without taking into account height, weight, reach.”
Zelensky ‘disappointed’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, said on social media that he had spoken to Usyk after his arrest, posting a photo of Usyk with a Ukrainian diplomat. “I was disappointed by this attitude towards our citizen and champion,” Zelensky wrote, adding that he had asked the foreign minister and interior minister to look into “all the details of the incident.”
/ATS
