Ukrainian boxing champions trade gloves for guns in fight against Russian forces

The two large men standing shoulder to shoulder in an Associated Press photo taken Sunday in theoffice of the mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine, were instantly recognizable to most boxing fans.

Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, the sons of a Soviet major general, are both former heavyweight champions. Whenever one was in the ring, the other was always helping from the corner.

Now, they're in a fight unlike any they imagined. The prize for this one isn't a gaudy championship belt but the survival of their country.

Vitali Klitschko is helping lead it as mayor of the Ukrainian capital, which continues to be under siege by Russian forces. His younger brother plays the role of chief second.

They're a formidable pair and say they are ready to do whatever it takes to defend their country against the invading Russian forces. So far, that hasn't included armed combat, but both have made it clear they will fight in the streets if it comes to that.

And, in a rich Ukrainian boxing community, they're not alone.

Lomachenko, Usykreturnhome to fight

Vasiliy Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic gold medallist who some consider the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, hastily flew home from Greece to don combat fatigues as a member of one of the civilianterritorial defence battalions being formed across the country.

He was pictured on his official Facebook page over the weekend with an assault rifle slung over his shoulder near Odesa.

"The Belgorod-Dnestrovsky Territorial Defence Battalion has been formed and armed," the caption read.

The current heavyweight champion is also in on the fight. Oleksandr Usyk returned home from London when Russia invaded his country last Thursday. Instead of preparing for a possible rematch against Anthony Joshua this spring, he is getting ready to fight against Russian forces.

Both are potentially losing million-dollar paydays in Usyk's case, the biggest purse of his career in a rematch with Joshua.

On Sunday, Usyk posed not with gloves but an automatic rifle, flanked by three other armed men in the Kyivterritorial defence force.

'Heroes in the ring'

They're all great fighters with proud legacies in the ring. When Wladimir Klitschko last fought in 2017, he and Joshua engaged in a thrilling knockdown bout before 90,000 at Wembley Stadium in London.

Klitschko came off the canvas that night to deck the British champion before ultimately being stopped by the younger fighter.

And boxing fans still talk about Vitali Klitschko nearly getting the upper hand on Canadian Lennox Lewis in their heavyweight clash in Los Angeles in 2003 that ended only because the ring doctor stopped it when there was so much blood flowing down Klitschko's face he couldn't see.

None of the Ukrainian prizefighters backed down with gloves on. And they show no sign of backing down now, even in the face of an army that far outnumbersthem in forces and firepower.

"Go back home," Vitali said when asked what he would tell Russian soldiers. "You have nothing to find here."

WATCH | 'Go back home,' Kyiv mayor tells Russian forces:

'Go back home,' Kyiv mayor tells Russian forces

3 years ago

Duration 0:40

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Russian forces have 'nothing to find here in our home' and said he hopes Sunday night will be quiet.

Usyk was even more blunt with his message.

"You are not at war with our government, our army," he said in a video posted on Twitter. "You are at war with the people. This is our land. We are at home."

Klitschko brothers trained in Soviet system

Vitali Klitschko has been mayor of Kyiv since 2014, two years after he finally called it quits on a boxing career that earned him an Olympic gold medal and a world title. His brother was arguably even more successful, holding pieces of the heavyweight title while going 11 years without a defeat.

They grew up fighting in the Soviet amateur system and, while their technical styles didn't endear them to boxing fans everywhere, they were extremely popular in Germany, where they sold out arenas and stadiums for big fights.

Both also have advanced college degrees and speak four languages.

And both have friends in high places.

"I am thinking of you, my friends," actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger tweeted, along with a picture of the brothers. "You were my heroes in the ring, and you're my heroes now."

The Boxrec.com website, the closest thing boxing has to a record book, on Monday featured a picture of Vitali Klitschko holding an automatic rifle above the ratings. "#1 Vitali Klitschko," the caption read.

With Russian troops threatening the capital on Sunday, the brothers tried to stay upbeat inside the mayor's office even as Vitali Klitschko warned of a looming humanitarian crisis as the city's food and medical supplies get scarcer.

"Right now, the most important question is to defend our country," he told the AP's Francesca Ebel and Efrem Lukatsky.