For a second, imagine you’re a Russian soldier, called in by Vladimir Putin to assist in the invasion of Ukraine. You’re on the front lines of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. When clearing out an apartment complex, you turn the corner of a once lively but now void room due to mass evacuations. You’re expecting to see nothing out of the ordinary, as this action is just routine.

However, when you turn the corner, standing before you is the 6’6”, 2 time world boxing heavyweight champion, Olympic gold medalist, (64-5) Wladimir Klitschko. You try to run away, but in the other corner, 6’7” WBO heavyweight world champion (45-2) Vitali Klitschko is ready to fight for his country’s freedom. With the brothers having a combined 40 heavyweight title fight wins, this matchup isn’t ideal.

With an amateur record of 134-6, Wladimir Klitschko grabbed the world’s attention at only 20 years old by defeating Paea Wolfgramm in the Super Heavyweight category to win gold at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. Afterwards, Wladimir’s first fight was on the 16th of November 1996, where he began a 24 match winning streak which ended in 1999 during his only fight to ever take place in Ukraine. When his brother Vitali Klitschko lost his heavyweight title in 2000 to Chris Byrd, what did Wladimir do? He beat Byrd only a few months later, claiming the heavyweight title himself.

And for Vitali, I could rage on about his many wins, accolades, etc., but it’s best summarized by his awarding in 2016 of being dubbed “Eternal World Heavyweight Champion” by the WBC, as he held the WBC Heavyweight title from 2004-2005, and 2008-2012. He was not only a nearly undefeated fighter (with only 2 losses), but also extremely intelligent. After having graduated from Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky Pedagogical Institute, he went to Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, graduating with a PhD in Sports Science. Still don’t believe me? Checkmate. Here’s an image of him playing chess with his brother, and we all know only smart people play chess. Also, this is from the movie made about them, Klitschko. You need to be special to have a movie made about you.

Also, did I forget to mention that Vitali’s the mayor of Kyiv?

Since 2014, Vitali Klitschko has been the mayor of Ukraine’s capital, which is now a crucial point in the defense against Russia. Along with Wladimir, they not only play a big role on the battlefield, but also in the media, where they do many interviews and conferences, spreading awareness across the world. There’s no better closing quote which illustrates Ukraine’s situation than this quote by Vitali:

“We understand it’s our land, we understand it’s our future, it’s our freedom. We’re ready to fight for that, but we need support from (the) whole democratic world.”