The Ukrainian powerhouse never finds himself too far from Disney donkey Eeyore and uses the toy for inspiration – carrying it with him for all his fights.
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Usyk revealed the heart-warming story behind his not so secret weapon.
Find out why below…
Why is Oleksandr Usyk carrying a stuffed toy donkey?
When Oleksandr Usyk left his ravaged country Ukraine to begin training for his world title defence, the boxing icon was forced to part ways with his little girl Yelizaveta.
And knowing her father would be travelling to Saudi Arabia to take on Anthony Joshua, Yelizaveta felt the need to give her dad some protection in the shape of Eeyore – the depressed Winnie the Pooh favourite.
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Usyk admitted that Yelizaveta has renamed the Disney donkey Liolia and it has now become a crucial part of Team Usyk.
He has also been seen with it during fight week for his massive unification bout with Tyson Fury.
What has Oleksandr Usyk said about the stuffed toy donkey?
The Ukrainian heavyweight mentioned that his 12-year-old daughter is adamant that Eeyore goes everywhere he goes.
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Usyk said: “It’s my daughter’s. She gave it to me to be my talisman. We bought it when we were all together in Disneyland Paris.
“When we left Ukraine together but our roads separated in Europe, my daughter gave this toy to me and said, ‘This needs to be right next to you’.
“It sleeps with me, is always close to and she told me to take it to my media event.
“I am not sure about it being in my corner, she is a lady so she might get scared, but she will definitely be in my dressing room.”