Oleksandr Usyk: 'My soul belongs to the Lord and my body and my honor to my country,' says heavyweight champion after joining Ukrainian defense battalion

Exclusive: By Don Riddell, CNN

Updated 0925 GMT (1725 HKT) March 2, 2022

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(CNN)Ukrainian boxers Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko are childhood friends. They grew up dreaming of fighting their way to fame and glory, and together they conquered the world with their fists.

Between them, the 35-year-old Usyk and the 34-year-old Lomachenko won three Olympic gold medals and have since established themselves among the elite boxers in the world. But now they are facing a very different fight — an existential one — for the very future of their country. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Usyk and Lomachenko have traveled into Ukraine, taken