Russian president Vladmir Putin can thank his lucky stars that the fight he picked with Ukraine isn’t playing out in a boxing ring.
Former heavyweight champions Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko have both committed to battling Russian forces in the process of occupying their homeland.
“I don’t have another choice,” said Vitali, who is now the mayor of the capital city of Kyiv. “I would fight.”
He also told “Good Day Britain” that “the Russians have to pay” for what they’re doing and accused Putin of having lost touch with reality. The 50-year-old retired pugilist became Kiev’s mayor in 2014 after going 45-2 as a boxer.
His 45-year-old brother chalked up 64 wins in a career that saw him lose only five times. Wladimir was also engaged to actress Hayden Panettiere. The 6-foot-6 slugger joined the Ukraine army reserves earlier this month, according to ESPN. He too is ready to go the distance with Russian forces.
“Destruction and death come upon us,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “We will defend ourselves with all our might and fight for freedom and democracy.”
He also wrote, “It is not ‘the war of Ukraine,’ it is Putin’s war.”
Current heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk holds three belts and is also Ukrainian. He told fans on Instagram he’d been away on business, but had returned to Ukraine.
“Friends, we have to unite because it’s a hard time right now and I’m really emotional and worry about my country, and our people,” the 220-pound southpaw said.
Ukrainian lightweight Vasiliy Lomachenko, a former champion reportedly in talks to soon fight for a title again, posted a message on Instagram calling for peace.
