Former multiple-division world champion Vasiliy Lomachenko is on the battlefield of Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion.
Lomachenko took to his Facebook account to announce that he has joined the territorial defense battalion. The two-time Olympic gold medalist had been in Greece and traveled to Ukraine upon word of Russia’s invasion. A report claiming that Vasiliy Lomachenko went to Greece to seek refuge was erroneous.
Vasiliy Lomachenko Fighting Off Russian Invasion
Here’s what Lomachenko had to say in a Facebook post about joining the territorial defense battalion.
“The Belgorod-Dnestrovsky Territorial Defense Battalion has been formed and armed. In the territorial defense, boxer Vasily Lomachenko informed the mayor Vitaly Grazhdan.”
Lomachenko isn’t the only Ukrainian boxer who is on the battlefield. Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk as well as boxing legends Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko are also fighting for Ukraine. Vitali is the Mayor of Kyiv.
Mykola Kovalchuk is the president of the World Boxing Council in Ukraine and he publicly applauded the bravery of Lomachenko, the Klitschko brothers, and Usyk.
“We are so proud of our boxers, our real champions in boxing and champions in this war. We are proud to be Ukrainians.”
Lomachenko was last seen in action back in Dec. 2021. He took on Richard Commey for the WBO Inter-Continental Lightweight Championship. “Loma” got the victory via unanimous decision to improve his pro boxing record to 16-2.
Throughout his career, Lomachenko has held world titles as a lightweight, junior-lightweight, and featherweight. He was even recognized as the undisputed lightweight champion of the world before dropping his gold to Teofimo Lopez back in Oct. 2020.
