'Don't hit him too hard!': Zelensky tells Usyk not to endanger British arms deal

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with boxing star Oleksandr Usyk to be gentle with British rival Tyson Fury in their world heavyweight clash in case a battering delivers a knockout blow to a crucial arms deal.

Usyk defeated Fury in May to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and the two men meet again in Riyadh on Saturday.

"All Ukrainians are on your side. Of course, Britain is helping Ukraine in a fight against Russia," Zelensky told Usyk on Friday in a video on Zelensky's Telegram account.

"We respect our partners. That's why when you beat Fury, don't hit him too hard, because we don't want them to ban Storm Shadow."

British media reported last month that Ukraine had fired Storm Shadow missiles into Russia for the first time after London gave Kyiv the green light for such strikes.

The UK government refused to confirm or deny the reports.