Ukrainian fighting in and out of the ring (The Associated Press)
Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk is a man fighting both inside and outside the ring. Usyk is the reigning Olympic heavyweight gold medalist and is now trying to challenge for top pro titles, but his career has become tangled up in Ukraine’s political turmoil. Since turning pro in 2013, Usyk has won all his six fights by knockout and is now gearing up for the biggest fight of his pro career on Saturday against Russia’s Andrei Knyazev in the Ukrainian capital. An exuberant Ukrainian patriot who celebrates victories by performing folk dances in the ring, Usyk is a native of Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia last year.