Tyson Fury has insisted he will be the ‘first one to join up’ to defend the United Kingdom from a potential future attack, with fears over the current devastating war in Ukraine escalating on a global scale mounting.
After Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian invasion, which has now entered its sixth day of bloodshed, Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko and Oleksandr Usyk all took to the frontlines in a brave bid to protect their country.
Wladimir, who Fury memorably defeated in 2015 to become the world champion, enlisted in Ukraine’s reserve army ahead of the attack. His brother Vitali, the mayor of Kyiv, has remained in the capital city to help co-ordinate their response.
Fellow boxer Vasyl Lomachenko has also joined the fight, and was recently pictured clad in full military gear alongside several of his fellow countrymen. He will work with the Belgorod-Dnestrovsky Territorial Defence, as Russia continue to gain ground.
And today, in his opening press conference ahead of his world heavyweight title showdown with Dillian Whyte, Fury opened up on his willingness to take up arms – and also revealed his family would join him in stepping to the fore.
Questioned on the heroics from the Klitschko brothers, Usyk and Lomachenko, the Gypsy King said: ‘Fantastic. I’ll be the first one to join up if England get involved, or America. I’ll be first in line for the job. My dad will as well, and all the boys.
‘We’ll all be signing up to defend. I think if you’re from that country living there, defend her. Love your woman and fight for your country, that’s what I say.’
His comments received a round of applause in the room after he’d finished speaking.
Tyson Fury has insisted he would be willing to defend the UK after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Wladimir Klitschko (right) and brother Vitali (left) will defend their country on the frontlines
Fury has faced several questions on the onslaught in Ukraine and the bravery from his boxing rivals – and joked he’d be ‘the easiest target’ to hit in a firefight.
He told talkSPORT: ‘Well, it’s what they should be doing. When it comes to war on UK soil, I’ll be first up.
‘I’ll be first up, I’ll be the easiest target to hit at 6ft 9ins, I’ll be dead first.
‘Frank [Warren] will be shading from the bullets behind me and I’ll just catch them all like a nutcase.’
Fury, speaking at a press conference today, said he would be the ‘first one to join up’ and fight
Wladimir, meanwhile, said ‘every hours counts’ in Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty.
‘I am Ukrainian, and I am a fighter,’ he said yesterday. ‘Our strongest force is the will and desire to live in a free country, and we have chosen the direction we want to go.
‘We are a European country and we want to make sure that our values are going to be implemented rightly into our society, and no one else is going to decide for us how we should live.
‘Kyiv has not been bombed since 1941, when the Nazis bombed and attacked Kyiv. It’s so weird to actually hear explosions in the city day by day and shootings, and seeing all the images all around the country where people suffer.
Klitschko has pleaded with the ‘entire world’ to ‘act now’ to stop the bloodshed continuing
‘And in Kyiv, it’s getting into a humanitarian, catastrophic event, and that’s why every hour counts.’
Usyk, 35, addressed Putin in a video and urged him to negotiate with his homeland.
‘Good morning to everybody. My name is Oleksandr Usyk. I’d like to speak to the people of Russia,’ he said. ‘If we consider ourselves as brothers, orthodox ones.
‘Do not let your children to set out to our country, do not fight with us. Also I’m addressing this to the President Vladimir Putin. You can stop this war. Please just sit down and negotiate it with us without claims.
Oleksandr Usyk has enlisted with the Kyiv Territorial Defence and was seen holding a weapon
Heavyweight titan Usyk was in the UK at the start of the violence but returned to his homeland
‘Our kids, wives, grannies are hiding in the basements. We are here in our own country, we cannot do it other way – we are defending. Stop it! Stop this war.’
Russia has warned it is about to strike ‘intelligence infrastructure’ in Kyiv and told civilians living near military buildings to evacuate.
A 40-mile convoy of tanks and artillery has been pictured making its way towards the city, sparking fears over a dramatic escalation in the bombardment.
Vasyl Lomachenko (left) is another boxer to have enlisted in the Ukrainian territorial army
A burned-out car and rubble is seen strewn in the streets in Brovary, a city on the edge of Kyiv
Moscow’s defence ministry has claimed the strikes will target security service and intelligence agencies with ‘precision munitions’.
The news comes just hours after Belarus threw their own soldiers into the fray, according to the country’s parliament with an attack on the city of Chernihiv.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned the bombing attacks as ‘terrorism’ and vowed that ‘nobody will forgive, nobody will forget’ Russia’s actions.
Russian forces have advanced to the outskirts of Kyiv, with a huge column of armour closing in
