"He went abroad to prepare for this revenge," said his agent living in kyiv, Yaroslav Lordkipanidze, by telephone.
The 35-year-old boxer, holder of the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight belts since his victory over the Briton in September, left his country "several days ago", his manager said without further details.
The Ukrainian boxer had declared that he would "defend (t) (s) his house, (s) his wife, (s) his children, (s) his close relations" in an interview granted to CNN from the basement of his home in the kyiv region, days after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of invading troops to Ukraine.
The rematch against Joshua, who immediately demanded a rematch after his unanimous defeat by the judges in September, could take place this summer.
Ukrainian Oleksander Usyk touches Briton Anthony Joshua during his unanimous judges' victory over the world heavyweight champion (WBA, IBF, WBO), September 25, 2021 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London Adrian DENNIS AFP /Archives
Like Usyk, several Ukrainian sportsmen have joined their country to participate in its defense, notably the former world lightweight champion and double Olympic gold medalist Vasiliy Lomachenko, who has returned home to Belgorod-Dnistrovsky, near from Odessa.
General mobilization having been declared in Ukraine, men aged 18 to 60 cannot leave the country without authorization.
© 2022 AFP