First it was the Klitschko brothers -Vitali and Wladimir-, two boxing immortals, who announced their intention to join the Ukrainian armed forces in the face of the Russian invasion. Others followed like Vasyl Lomachenko, one of the most complete fighters in the world, and Oleksandr Usyk, the world heavyweight champion, ready to participate in the war.
The decision of those four Ukrainian boxing greats even risking their lives to defend their country has impressed Óscar de la Hoya.
“They are very brave, they have a lot of courage, young men who fight for their country. They are fighters, they are showing it, inside or outside the ring… But they must be careful”, said the promoter in a chat with boxing reporters in Los Angeles.
“Ukraine is going through really very difficult times, it is sad that this is happening, but it shows you their character, the mentality of fighters, the heart of fighters,” added De la Hoya. “They are willing to risk their lives for their country, for their families, for their friends, for strangers, people they don’t even know.”
Vasyl Lomachenko has joined the Belgorod-Dnestrovsky Territorial Defense Battalion in Ukraine to defend his country from Vladimir Putin’s invasion by Russia… pic.twitter.com/LWFDcUhFAB— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) February 27, 2022
Deepening his praise of the Klitschko brothers, Lomachenko and Usyk, De la Hoya said: “He is very brave of his part. They are the representation of what a fighter is, of what boxing is. We are a sport where we fight for each other no matter what. It’s very commendable, but just be careful.”
Usyk is wearing his boxing shoes. That means business. pic.twitter.com/GckfZkmvaa— Dan Canobbio (@DanCanobbio) March 1, 2022
When a reporter asked De La Hoya if he could imagine doing something like that, the answer of the Los Angeles promoter was genuine and forceful speaking in English: “Fuck no!… Jesus… But that’s why I say, wow… Who knows if you’re already in battle and you want to defend your country. Maybe… A lot of respect for fighting for their country and what they are doing is incredible”.
On the same subject, the British Tyson Fury, the WBC version of the world heavyweight champion, said in a conference that what his fellow boxers from Ukraine are doing is fantastic and advanced: “I will be the first to join if Britain gets involved.”
Tyson Fury praises Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko and Oleksandr Usyk for defending Ukraine from Vladimir Putins invasion by Russia: “I’ll be the first one to join up if England get involved.”
2022pic.twitter.com/w479oaJw4g—Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) March 1, 550