Can an athlete be “non-political”?

Hamburg, Germany hosted a boxing “fight of the decade” for a heavyweight title on November 15 night, which saw IBF, WBA, WBO, IBO and The Ring magazine world champion Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko facing his IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria. At the very start of the confrontation, the rival literally assaulted our boxer, scoring a few strong punches. Klitschko not just survived them, but knocked down the opponent twice. The Bulgarian fought more cautiously in the second and third rounds, but still had to kiss the floor once again. In the fifth round, just as promised by        Klitschko’s trainer Johnathon Banks, Pulev fell for good. Klitschko finished the fight with a strong left-hand punch. Let us recall that this was Klitschko’s 63rd victory in professional boxing, and his 53rd knockout victory.

Klitschko dedicated his victory to all Ukrainians who are now fighting in the east of our country. “I want to dedicate this victory to all people who are now fighting for freedom and independence of Ukraine! I love Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine!” he said in the ring immediately after the fight in a brief flash interview.

“The battle was just too exciting. It seemed that Klitschko was not expecting Pulev to show so much aggression from the start. It was evident that our boxer was first less than fully committed, acted more cautiously, in a measured manner, perhaps trying to move epicenter of the fight to the later rounds. Pulev assaulted him immediately instead and had a few well-aimed punches hitting target,” head coach of the national boxing team of Ukraine Dmytro Sosnovsky commented for The Day. “However, Klitschko then regained his composure and immediately responded with good counters – jabs and left-hand punches. This is the classic style of fighting for our hero. In short, it was a predictable victory for our champion, who is now objectively the strongest fighter in the world. In this fight, Klitschko demonstrated his will, character, and skill. I want to thank him especially for having dedicated his victory to soldiers who are now at war. Many athletes publicly expressed their position on the annexation of Crimea by Russia and our war in the east, but it was our top boxers who mostly just stayed in the shadows. For example, Oleksandr Usyk recently said that he was ‘non-political,’ and Vasyl Lomachenko has failed to speak in support of Ukraine as well. This is wrong. Klitschko, on the other hand, standing in the top ring with all the cameras of the global media switched on, clearly stated his public position. Believe me, our soldiers see such words of support as essential, they cheer them up particularly strongly. The country can be successful when every citizen professionally performs their job. Klitschko, like other boxers, crowns our country with sports glory. They often shed sweat and blood for it. Still, it does not even compare to what the soldiers are doing, sacrificing their lives for the country, and bravely repelling enemy attacks in the Donetsk airport or at the frontlines near Luhansk and Donetsk. Klitschko’s actions show how real professional sportsmen and citizens should act.”