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Ukrainian heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk met with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on June 12.
The Gaze informs about it, referring to a post by a senior White House communications adviser Margo Martin.
A photograph shared on X by presidential aide Martin showed Trump alongside the undefeated Ukrainian boxer, who currently holds multiple heavyweight world titles.
Neither the White House nor Usyk’s representatives disclosed details of the meeting, and no official readout was released.
The encounter comes as Usyk remains one of Ukraine’s most internationally recognized athletes and public figures during Russia’s ongoing war against the country. Later on Friday, Usyk revealed that he had also visited the Pentagon for the first time. In a post on social media, the boxer described the experience as emotionally significant and said he was impressed by the scale of the U.S. Department of Defense headquarters.
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While the sides has not disclosed details of the conversation, Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne reported that the meeting may have been linked to President Donald Trump’s upcoming 80th birthday on June 14.
Ahead of the celebrations, an MMA arena was installed near the White House for UFC Freedom Fights 250, a combat sports event associated with the broader festivities. However, Trump had previously said he envisioned hosting such an event as part of commemorations marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Oleksandr Usyk has been named among the 100 most influential people in global sport for 2026 by TIME magazine. The undefeated Ukrainian heavyweight champion, who holds the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles, was included in the “Leaders” category of the ranking.
In May, Usyk defended his titles again in a highly competitive fight against kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven in Egypt. After a physically demanding 11-round contest, Usyk secured a technical knockout in the final round. The win marked his 25th professional victory and further reinforced his status as one of boxing’s dominant heavyweight champions.
