Already with the Klitschko brothers in its ranksUkraine is now adding another boxer to help defend against the Russian invasion of the country.
Vasily Lomachenko joined a regional defense battalion in Ukraine, According to ESPN. The Ukrainian boxer, the former world champion in three weight classes, posted a picture of himself in armor and in a nude uniform on his Facebook page on Sunday.
According to the report, Lomachenko, in Greece when Russia launched its invasion, was forced to Bucharest, Romania to reach his Ukrainian home.
Boxing Hall of Fame Vitali Klitschko – mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv – and his brother Vladimir took up arms as part of the overall defense of the country. The two former heavyweight champions have long been prominent figures in the protests against closer ties with Russia.
“We are very proud of our boxers, our true champions in boxing and heroes of this war,” Mykola Kovalchuk, president of WBC Ukraine, told ESPN. “We are proud to be Ukrainians.”
The 34-year-old Lomachenko (16-2, 11 knockout) was linked with a title match in June in Australia against undisputed champion George Camposos – Lo Machenko has already agreed to his side of the deal.
The match will allow Lomachenko to reclaim the lightweight belts he surrendered in his October 2020 loss to rising star Teofemo Lopez. Camposos then took the belts from Lopez in November 2021.
Since then, Lomachenko has won two fights since his match with Lopez, most recently defeating Richard Comey by decision at Madison Square Garden in December. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Lomachenko is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.