Former Boxing Champion: Vasiliy Lomachenko made a bold decision.
He and George Kambosos were close to settling on a significant lightweight unification earlier this year. He had been waiting for this fight ever since Teofimo Lopez shocked him and took away his title belts.
But after Russia invaded Ukraine, he gave up boxing to go back to his country and help with the conflict as much as he could.
Although it was a courageous and selfless choice, Lomachenko didn’t think twice.
“My entire family supported the choice, which was taken very quickly because there was no other alternative. In these circumstances, you must defend your house, your nation, and yourself “Sky Sports was instructed by Lomachenko.
The length of the war, his ability to continue his boxing career, and what would happen to him were all unknown to Lomachenko. He was taking a huge risk.
Lomachenko was out of the country at the time that Russia invaded Ukraine, according to his promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank. In a Greek mountain community, he was getting ready for his upcoming bout. Of course, I told Egis [Klimas, his manager], “Hey, remain there,” when I called him. However, due to the conflict in Ukraine at the time, all airports were shut down. He thus took a flight back to Romania, rented a car, and then drove into Ukraine to return.
“In two Olympics, he carried the Ukrainian flag and won gold medals. The fact that he is a patriotic Ukrainian does not surprise me.”
With the Territorial Defense Forces, he enlisted. He wasn’t required to participate in combat actions, but he did carry a firearm. He was still directly impacted by the war.
“Yes, there have been multiple bombings just next to our town and in close proximity to our district. We frequently had to retreat to the cellar to find safety from the frequent bombing that occurred in our neighbourhood “explained he.
Arum thought: “That says a lot about Ukraine, Vasiliy as a person, and Oleksandr [Usyk, who also did the same]. What Ukrainians stand for and how committed they are to preserving their national identity. They possess these values.”
Lomachenko has been compared to Muhammad Ali, who lost the peak years of his fighting career protesting the Vietnam War, for making the decision to leave boxing despite the danger it put him in.
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