Three-belt heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk said this to CNN in a video interview about his decision to return to the Ukraine, where he will take up arms against the Russian invasion: "It is my duty to fight, to defend my home and my family. It’s not that I want to fight somewhere on the front line, I am defending my home, I am defending my wife, my children, my close ones. There are also many looters out there who are trying to profit from this. We are helping people, so what do you mean when you ask me why do I fight? Because it’s my duty. I have to do this, I am a man. If they want to take my life or the lives of my close ones, I will have to take theirs. But I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to shoot, I don’t want to kill anybody, but if they are trying to kill me, I will have no choice. I’m not afraid of anyone but actually I’ll tell you this and it may sound sentimental or something, but my soul belongs to the Lord. And my body and my honor belong to my country and to my family. So I have no fear. Absolutely no fear. There’s just confusion. How could this be happening in the 21st century? Do you want me to show you how we are living now? [Usyk shows his family living in a basement] My family is with me and my close ones and also my children’s godparents, my parents and my friends. All these people that ended up here were under some shelling. We have shelter now, BUT some people don’t have shelter. We have a basement and where there’s an air raid siren, we hide there."

As for boxing, in the non-video portion of CNN's coverage, Usyk was quoted as saying, "I really don't know when I'm going to be stepping back in the ring," said Usyk, who looked exhausted and emotional in his interview with CNN. "My country and my honor are more important to me than a championship belt."