On Friday, US President Donald Trump sat down with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the Oval Office at the White House. However, it wasn’t a closed-door summit as is usual in such cases. Scores of reporters with cameras sat right in front of them, eagerly awaiting a bite. And boy did they get some?

While the meeting started in a pleasant way, it soon erupted into a heated debate between the parties over the Russia- Ukraine war. However, what caught the attention of the combat world was the fact that Zelensky had brought with him the undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk‘s WBC belt as a gift for President Donald Trump. While it was a thoughtful gesture on Zelensky’s part, boxing fans had something else to say.

Tyson Fury’s shame on display

As the Ukrainian president entered the White House, his entourage followed him with the gold WBC Heavyweight Championship belt—a belt that Oleksandr Usyk had won after defeating Tyson Fury in their rematch last year. Even before the meeting, several reports suggested that Zelensky promised Trump that he would present Usyk’s championship belt to the latter.

The belt was placed beside the Ukrainian president throughout the meeting. Ring Magazine posted the picture from the event on its Instagram account and captioned it: “Oleksandr Usyk’s WBC belt, that he won by beating Tyson Fury in Riyadh, was seen at The White House today after Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy gifted the belt to President Trump.”

Whether it was a brag or a thoughtful gesture, only Volodymyr Zelensky knows. However, boxing fans had something to say about it, and they didn’t hold back at all.

Oleksandr Usyk deserves his belt back, argue fans

A fan commented on the Ring Magazine post and wrote, “Is that okay to do? Does Usyk know lol,” asking whether Oleksandr Usyk knows that his title is being displayed and gifted to the US President. After all, he won after winning against one of the best heavyweights of all time. Another fan who had the same idea wrote, “Might want to get that back.”

Another fan wrote, “350 billion dollar belt 😂.” This was an apparent dig at Zelensky in clear reference to Donald Trump’s earlier claim that they had “spent more than $300 billion” to help Ukraine weather the Russian onslaught.

Everyone was hoping that the belt presented in the White House was a replica. However, after finding out that it was a real piece, everyone was taken aback. Another fan wrote, “That belt is for warrior.” According to him, Oleksandr Usyk won that belt after sweating his guts out. So, their president should not be gifting away the belt just as a gesture.

While others criticized the gesture bythe  Ukrainian president, another fan decided to praise the patriotism of Oleksandr Usyk. He wrote, “Usyk really loves his country I hope he or Loma runs for president I mean If a comedian can win then I’m sure a heavyweight champ can as well.” The fan was impressed by the selflessness that the undisputed heavyweight champion showed in giving away his life’s work for his country. And while the comment seems like a troll against Volodymyr Zelensky, it wasn’t. For the uninformed, Zelensky was a stand-up comedian before taking the reins of Ukraine.

The White House meeting has clearly stirred significant unrest, rippling through both political circles and the combat sports community. While Zelensky and Trump are likely to have future discussions on political matters, it might be wise for Zelensky to reconsider bringing items tied to national heroes like Oleksandr Usyk as tokens of goodwill, given the strong reactions they’ve provoked.

Was Oleksandr Usyk’s WBC Heavyweight championship belt an appropriate gift? Let us know your thoughts down below.