Oleksandr Usyk has spoken out after he was spotted taking part in a charity football match despite sustaining some minor injuries following his clash with Daniel Dubois.

Pepe, Figo, Pauleta and Helder Postiga all scored as Portugal legends secured a 4-1 win over World legends in the inaugural Legends Charity Game. One of the biggest surprises from the match saw the Ukrainian swap the boxing gloves for the football boots. Usyk played 17 minutes in the first half and 6 minutes in the second half.

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The aim of the charity match was to raise over €1,000,000 for several charitable organisations, including the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, Portuguese Red Cross, International Alert, and Caritas Portuguesa. Fans were left stunned after Usyk took part in the game despite having to postpone his mandatory world title defence against Joseph Parker due to an injury claim.

The Ukrainian was previously ordered to defend his WBO gold strap against Parker after beating Daniel Dubois in July. That said, the bout has since been delayed on medical grounds and recent reports revealed that Usyk’s team had been successful in their appeal for a 90-day extension.

Despite suffering a few injuries against ‘Triple D,’ Usyk remained under the close supervision of his team and medical staff in Lisbon. Speaking about the charity match, the two-time undisputed heavyweight champion said: “Football is my childhood dream. Now I want to help Ukrainian children to make their dreams come true. The Usyk Foundation raises money to help sixty four families have a home again. This is just a drop in the ocean — a million of Ukrainians have lost their homes. But we do what we can.” He added: “I consider sport as a very powerful tool to make the world better.”

Usyk, 38, participated as a guest, but also wanted to draw attention to his own charitable initiative – the Usyk Foundation. The current fundraising campaign by his foundation aims to raise €3million (£2.5m) for the ‘construction of new housing for 64 Ukrainian families who lost their homes due to Russia’s full-scale invasion.’

Last month, Usyk grabbed the headlines after he was filmed dancing at a music concert. After the clip went viral online, Parker’s promoter – David Higgins – was quick to question the Ukrainian’s injury. “I haven’t actually seen the medical evidence but you would think that a serious injury would prevent that sort of activity,” he said. While Usyk is not expected to return this year, Parker will have at least one more fight before facing the Ukrainian. The Kiwi heavyweight will take on British star Fabio Wardley in London on October 25.

Oleksandr Usyk’s Belts Under Threat as Football Clip Fuels Injury Outrage Amid Crawford’s P4P Takeover

In July, Oleksandr Usyk put the brakes on Daniel Dubois for a second time, solidifying his status as a three-time undisputed champion in both cruiserweight and heavyweight. Talk about a heavyweight title with a side of déjà vu! All eyes are now on a possible showdown with the interim WBO champ, Joseph Parker. Let the games begin! The WBO has given Usyk the green light to defend his titles, but it seems his team has hit the brakes on negotiations, blaming an injury for the delay. Yet, Parker’s promoter, David Higgins, couldn’t resist highlighting a viral clip of Usyk showing off his dance moves.

He suggested that someone with a serious injury wouldn’t normally be able to move like that. Regardless, Usyk was granted a 90-day extension by the WBO after he presented medical evidence while recovering from the injury. Parker is now facing Fabio Wardley in October this year. Fast forward to September 9, a report from ESPN revealed that Usyk will compete in a charity football match in Portugal on September 15, named the ‘Legends Charity Game,’ which will be held at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon.

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Oleksandr Usyk played for a cause

The charity game featured former Premier League stars such as Edwin van der Sar, Petr Čech, John Terry, and Michael Owen, among others. CEO of Sport Global, Rasmus Sojmark, revealed that the undisputed heavyweight champion personally reached out to him and asked to take part. Although the match was primarily for ex-footballers, Sojmark agreed—it was Usyk asking, after all.

The Ukrainian boxer used the occasion to promote his charitable initiative, the Usyk Foundation, which supports communities in Ukraine and the country’s army. Meanwhile, the CEO of Usyk’s team, Sergey Lapin, clarified that recovery doesn’t mean complete inactivity. “Usyk has not been prescribed bed rest; he is allowed to take part in charity sporting events and engage in moderate physical activity,” Lapin told Ready to Fight.

He added, “But it’s obvious that dancing or attending events is not the same as a three-month training camp for a title fight.” Regardless, Everything Boxing shared a clip from the match on X, captioning: “Undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk playing in the Portugal Legends vs World Legends football game today.” This comes as Terence Crawford was promoted to the No.1 spot in Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound rankings after he defeated Canelo Alvarez.

Oleksandr Usyk, who previously held the spot, has now been moved down to the second spot on the rankings. Regardless, despite his team’s explanation, the footage ignited criticism online, with calls to strip Usyk of his titles spreading quickly across social media.

Fans allege Usyk faked his injury

The clip went viral, and one user questioned whether Usyk was injured. “Is he not injured?” Usyk will now return to boxing and decide whether to fight the winner of Parker and Wardley or relinquish his title altogether.

Another user sarcastically poked fun at Usyk. “Is this recent? I thought he was injured 😂😂,” the user commented. Usyk is not bedridden despite his injury.

The next user demanded that Usyk be stripped immediately. “Is this recent? I thought he was injured 😂😂,” the user wrote. However, that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Meanwhile, this user blamed Frank Warren for not pushing hard enough for the fight. “Lol Usyk really doesn’t give a f—k about fighting Joseph Parker, but tbf I don’t think Frank and Queensberry really pushed as hard to make the fight as they may have claimed,” the user commented. Regardless of how much a promoter pushes for a fight, the decision lies with the fighter.

Someone else roped in Joseph Parker into the conversation. “Parker is gonna love this 💀,” the user commented. However, he can’t really do anything until Usyk agrees to fight him.

Having said that, it appears Oleksandr Usyk’s decision to play the football match has caused fans to turn on him.

Oleksandr Usyk is a unique boxing talent, though he has admitted he has been inspired along the way by a British fighter.

Usyk has emerged as one of this generation, if not all of history’s, most talented pugilists. The now 38-year-old is a former Olympic Gold medalist from the London 2012 Games and remains unbeaten in the professional ranks across 24 fights and has famously twice beaten the best Britain has to offer in Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois since 2021.

Speaking to TNT SPORTS, Usyk once revealed that it was a British star who inspired his style in the ring back in his amateur days – Prince Naseem Hamed.

“When we were amateurs, we copied his [Naseem Hamed] movements. And we were under pressure in the gym because we were not allowed to do so. They were telling us that it looked like we were losing our concentration, and our focus, like we were out of control. But I kept doing it, even during competitions.”

Sheffield’s Prince Naz remains a legend of the sport and someone who was as captivating inside the ring as he is out of it. His unorthodox style, flamboyant showboating and wildly extravagant ring entrances always got the world talking, and he held multiple featherweight world championships between 1995 and 2000 and ended his career with a record of 36 wins from 37 fights with 31 coming by knockout.

Usyk is also a man of style who has a likeable character and often brings a sense of fun to training, though he is always hugely focused in the ring, which is why he is a three-time undisputed champion across two divisions.

He has recently been called out by a fellow unbeaten heavyweight in Agit Kabayel.