War veterans go from Ukraine front lines to Wembley ringside for Usyk’s heavyweight bout

LONDON (AP) – Ukrainian coal miner Andrii’s face lights up when he talks about meeting Oleksandr Usyk.

“Wow!” the 36-year-old says in English.

Andrii and more than a dozen other war veterans will be on hand when Usyk faces Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night in the pair’s fight to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion.

It’s a rematch of their 2023 bout that Andrii viewed under vastly different circumstances.

“I watched this fight on the front line on my phone,” he told The Associated Press through an interpreter during a stop Friday at the Ukrainian Embassy in London. “We were watching very quietly but when he won there was loud noise – we really celebrated.

“So now, two years later, being here in person for the fight is a huge event.”

He spoke on condition that only his first name be used, citing security concerns.

The veterans are employees of Ukraine’s largest private energy company DTEK, which has partnered with Usyk to raise awareness about the plight of the country’s civilian energy infrastructure since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Most of them, including Andrii, had never traveled outside Ukraine before. They took a train to Warsaw and from there a flight to London, landing Thursday and going straight to a downtown hotel to meet Usyk.

“He told about his training sessions, how he prepared for the fight, but he also mentioned his journey from his childhood to becoming champion,” Andrii said. “He’s an ambassador of Ukraine and he supports energy workers. He can bring attention to the problem.”

Russia has repeatedly struck Ukraine’s power grid during the war. At one point, 90% of DTEK’s thermal generation capacity was damaged or destroyed.

More than 300 DTEK workers have been killed in the war and 900 more injured, mostly while fighting.

Andrii, who lives about 70 kilometers (44 miles) from the front line in eastern Ukraine, had served two years in combat and described his injuries – a concussion and taking shrapnel in his right leg from an exploding land mine – as “minor.” Like so many other Ukrainians, he’s lost friends and loved ones.

The bright lights and modern infrastructure of England’s iconic stadium will be a welcome change for the veterans.

The 38-year-old Usyk, an Olympic gold medalist from the 2012 London Games, has embraced his unofficial ambassadorial role for his country.

“All of my fights are important for me and my team,” he said Thursday. “Now, it’s very important to my country and the soldiers who protect my country because it’s motivation for my people.”

Earlier in the week, Usyk joined billionaire Richard Branson to unveil a mosaic in Trafalgar Square as part of an effort to raise funds for housing for Ukrainians.

“Russia destroyed hospitals, Russia destroyed schools, Russia destroyed lives – Ukrainian lives,” the undefeated Usyk told the gathering. “But we will survive.”