Ukrainian boxing champions trade gloves for guns in fight against Russian forces

The two large men standing shoulder to shoulder in an Associated Press photo taken Sunday in the office of the mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine, were instantly recognizable to most boxing fans.

Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, the sons of a Soviet major general, are both former heavyweight champions. Whenever one was in the ring, the other was always helping from the corner.

Now, they're in a fight unlike any they imagined. The prize for this one isn't a gaudy championship belt but the survival of their country.

Vitali Klitschko is helping lead it as mayor of the Ukrainian capital, which continues to be under siege by Russian forces. His younger brother plays the role of chief second.

They're a formidable pair and say they are ready to do whatever it takes to defend their country against the invading Russian forces. So far, that hasn't included armed combat, but both have made it clear they will fight in the streets if it comes to that.

And, in a rich Ukrainian boxing community, they're not alone.

Vasiliy Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic gold medallist who some consider the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, hastily flew home from Greece to don combat fatigues as a member of one of the civilian territorial defence battalions being formed across the country.

He was pictured on his official Facebook page over the weekend with an assault rifle slung over his shoulder near Odesa.

"The Belgorod-Dnestrovsky Territorial Defence Battalion has been formed and armed," the caption read.

The current heavyweight champion is also in on the fight. Oleksandr Usyk returned home from London when Russia invaded his country last Thursday. Instead of preparing for a possible rematch against Anthony Joshua this spring, he is getting ready to fight