Tag: Wladimir Klitschko

Oleg Prudky, Former Ukrainian Boxing Champion Tragically Dies Fighting in Devastating War Against Russia

Oleg PrudkyFormer Ukrainian boxing champion Oleg Prudky tragically passed away while defending his country against invading Russian troops.  Prudky, a respected member of the Ukrainian Atamans team was best know for competing in the World Series of Boxing’s super lightweight division. He also represented his country in various European boxing tournaments as a multi-time champion in […]

Oleg Prudky

Former Ukrainian boxing champion Oleg Prudky tragically passed away while defending his country against invading Russian troops. 

Prudky, a respected member of the Ukrainian Atamans team was best know for competing in the World Series of Boxing’s super lightweight division. He also represented his country in various European boxing tournaments as a multi-time champion in his home country of Ukraine. 

Prudky was working with Ukrainian special forces to defend his country from the attack that ultimately took his life. Three other men also lost their lives defending against Russian forces in the region of Cherasky. Prudky leaves behind his wife Mariana and their two daughters. Mariana took to Instagram to pay tribute to her fallen husband.

“it takes away the best !! I don’t believe, I don’t believe that you are no more… What I won’t hear: – Good morning darling! I’m fine! How are the girls? And the most important thing is that you will never tell me again – I LOVE you…. you are adored and asked every time, and when dad comes…. How can I tell them that they will never see you again…You were an example for your friends and brothers !! You are my ANGEL! I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!”

The Cherasky Boxing Federation Pays Tribute to Oleg Prudky

The Cherasky Boxing Federation shared its condolences to the family and friends of Prudky in a post on Instagram.

“Another tragedy in our boxing family,” the statement said. “One of the best boxers of Cherkasy region, Oleg Prudky, died in the East… The boxing family of Cherkasy region expresses their sincere condolences to the family and friends. Rest in peace!”

President of the Federation, Serhiy Tyshchenko shared memories of Prudky and detailed the significant role he played in Ukrainian boxing. 

“I remember now how your coach told you how eager you were to do boxing and cycling for tens of kilometers to get to training,” Tyshchenko. “I remember how we supported you at the competitions of ‘Ukrainian Atamans’, then a whole bus from Cherkasy came to support you and you won! Everyone remembers your incredible fights. You are the first in the history of Cherkasy boxing to win gold in the 60kg weight category.

“Oleg was a two-time champion of Ukraine and a master of sports of international class,” he added. “Your victories and achievements are hard to count, you were a very persistent and hard-working athlete, you trained a lot. You have been a worthy example for future generations. It is very difficult to accept such news every day – an irreparable loss for our boxing family. I express my sincere condolences to the boxer’s family. Cursed war, takes away the best sons of Ukraine! Eternal memory, rest in peace friend! Heroes do not die!”

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, multiple Ukrainian boxers have put their careers on hold to defend their home. Former heavyweight champions, Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko have stayed to fight for their country alongside WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usy and Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov.

The team at LowKick MMA offers our sincere condolences to the friends and family of Oleg Prudky and condolences to the friends and family of the brave men that fought and lost their lives alongside him to defend their country.

Wladimir Klitschko Believes All Russian Athletes Should Be Banned From Global Competition

Wladimir KlitschkoFormer Heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko believes that Russian competitors shouldn’t be allowed to participate in global sporting events. Klitschko has been very outspoken about the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and had even taken arm against the Russians to defend his home country. Wladimir Klitschko and his brother Vitali, had both been on the […]

Wladimir Klitschko

Former Heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko believes that Russian competitors shouldn’t be allowed to participate in global sporting events.

Klitschko has been very outspoken about the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and had even taken arm against the Russians to defend his home country. Wladimir Klitschko and his brother Vitali, had both been on the front lines, putting their lives on the line to protect the Ukraine and the citizens of the invasion.

Klitschko has been very outspoken and has pleaded for help from countries all over the world. He had even asked other countries to help in the effort by sending weapons for their citizens to defend themselves with. Klitschko is using his voice for good in his home country and is taking it a step further by calling for Russian athletes to not be able to compete in their sports.

Wladimir Klitschko was on Fox Nation when he urged organizations to not allow Russian athletes to compete

“The IOC should ban the Russian team now. The war is going now, they cannot participate at the next Olympic games, they cannot participate at any athletic events because this war is represented by Russia,” he told “Piers Morgan Uncensored” on Fox Nation. “Actions speak louder than words. Isolation, and this isolation speaks louder than any word or any line because isolation is painful.”  (Transcribed by Bloody Elbow)

The Olympic committee had banned Russia from the sports, but allow the Russian competitors to compete as a neutral athlete. Klitschko believes that this penalty was not hard enough, and there needs to be more impactful on the Russians.

“It’s going to be painful for athletes, for the economy, it’s going to be painful for anyone and everybody involved with Russia,” Klitschko said.

What do you think of Klitschko’s stance on the Russian athletes? Should they be able to compete in global sporting events?

As War Rages In Ukraine, Should The UFC Ban Russian Fighters?

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of MMA News or its members. Two days after the invasion, as Russian forces were closing in on his hometown of Irpin, Ukraine, Bellator Welterweight Champion Yaroslav Amosov addressed his Instagram followers. “Probably, many will think that I…

Continue Reading As War Rages In Ukraine, Should The UFC Ban Russian Fighters? at MMA News.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of MMA News or its members.

Two days after the invasion, as Russian forces were closing in on his hometown of Irpin, Ukraine, Bellator Welterweight Champion Yaroslav Amosov addressed his Instagram followers.

“Probably, many will think that I ran away, I’m hiding or something like that, but this is not so,” said Amosov. “I took my family to the safe zone. Now I have returned and will defend this country as best I can, with what I can.”

Amosov is one of several high profile Ukrainian fighters taking up arms against a Russian invasion that has so far claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians. Boxing greats Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, who are reportedly on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ‘kill list,’ have also vowed to serve on the front lines. So too current boxing stars Oleksandr Usyk and Vasyl Lomachenko.

While these men and so many other Ukrainians are risking their lives to defend their homeland, it almost seems trivial to talk about the implications that the Russian invasion may have for MMA. But with much of the West placing economic sanctions on Russia and as the horrors of the war continue to unfold before us, should top promotions like the UFC and Bellator make an ethical decision to ban Russian fighters from competing?

Klitschko Lomachenko
Left: Former heavyweight boxing great and current mayor of Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko. Right: Pound-for-pound boxing great Vasyl Lomachenko in the military fatigues of the Belgorod-Dnestrovsky Territorial Defense Battalion.

A War Bleeding Into Global Sport

Last week, Polish-based MMA promotion KSW did just that, making what it termed an “ethically justifiable decision” to cancel Russian fighter Shamil Musaev’s upcoming fight. While this decision must be considered within the context of Poland’s close geopolitical proximity to the war in Ukraine, the ban followed similar actions taken by some of the world’s biggest sporting bodies.

FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, has banned Russia from competing at the World Cup, and similar bans have also followed in tennis, hockey, athletics, and F1 racing. Countries, too, have made a point of punishing Russian athletes. Shortly following the invasion of Ukraine, the UK government cancelled visas issued to the men’s basketball team of Belarus, a close Russian ally, banning it from the country. 

This particular ban could have near-term implications for the UFC, which will hold its first event in the UK since the COVID-19 outbreak two years ago. UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall, set for March 19 in London, will feature four Russian fighters, including heavyweights Shamil Abdurakhimov, Sergei Pavlovich, and headliner Alexander Volkov. Their participation in the card is now in doubt thanks to the UK government’s hardline stance.

UFC President Dana White, whose forehead vein seems to be at bursting point most of the time thanks to the logistical nightmares presented by COVID-19, now has the political ramifications of a European war to factor into his event planning. Not only is the aforementioned Fight Night in doubt, but Petr Yan could also face difficulties entering the US for his long-awaited rematch with Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273 on April 9 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Petr Yan
Petr Yan (PHOTO: USA TODAY)

“Like I tell you guys all the time, just when you think the world’s about to get normal again, it gets even nuttier,” White said in an interview with TSN last week. “If Petr Yan cannot get into the country?’ I have no idea what’s going to happen with Russia and all these other things. I don’t know.”

And it’s not only Petr Yan who may face visa challenges. You never know how the US government might treat a fighter like Khamzat Chimaev, who while a naturalized Swede, maintains close ties with Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov—a loyal ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Argument Against Banning Russian MMA Fighters

Vladimir Putin, like many strong-man leaders of the former Soviet Union, has a history of fraternizing with some of MMA’s biggest stars. A long-time relationship with Russian heavyweight great Fedor Emelianenko, in between much publicized meetings with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, have all been part of his attempt to “sportswash” the many crimes of his regime.

Putin McGregor Khabib

A ban on Russians competing in the likes of the UFC or Bellator would therefore seem by some an appropriate punitive measure against Putin. But as the Russian military becomes bogged down in an increasingly difficult war, while suffering the dire economic consequences of US-led sanctions, banning Russian fighters—or any of its athletes, for that matter—is highly unlikely to register on Putin’s list of things to worry about, nor factor into his geopolitical decisions going forward. Rather, it will simply punish the fighters.

Regardless of any ethical argument in favor of a ban, the UFC, which under the guise of Dana White has historically been staunchly apolitical, is far from likely to place a ban on Russian fighters. Considering there are 27 Russians currently fighting in the promotion—the third largest national cohort after the US and Brazil—the effect on the UFC’s bottom line would be dire.

The Silence Of Russian Fighters

So, perhaps the ethical responsibility of denouncing the Russian invasion falls upon the nations fighters? Newly-signed Ukrainian UFC light heavyweight Ihor Potiera believes so. Last week, the Contender Series alum called out freshly-minted UFC Hall of Famer Nurmagomedov for remaining silent on the conflict.

“You were loved by millions,” Potiera said in an Instagram story (h/t Bloody Elbow). “You’ve been an example in many martial arts gyms. You started your career in Ukraine. You speak about honor and faith. And now you are silent.”

Khabib, however, isn’t the only Russian MMA fighter to remain silent on the Ukraine war. Thus far, only Petr Yan has made a statement, posting a peace symbol in a since-deleted Instagram story. However, it must be noted that in a country like Russia, no matter how nominally democratic it is, those who voice dissent at a time of war could face severe consequences.

But while the UFC’s Russian fighters have remained silent, those from Ukraine certainly haven’t. And perhaps the most outspoken has been women’s flyweight Maryna Moroz, who following her victory at UFC 272 on Saturday, delivered an emotional speech that showed just how real the conflict is for Ukraine’s fighters.

“My family is in Ukraine,” said Moroz to the Las Vegas crowd. “I had a hard week. I worried, I cried, because my family is right now in a bad situation. Thank you to everyone who messaged me, because this week was hard for me. I want to cry because of this war my country is in.”

Do you believe the UFC should ban Russian fighters during the country’s invasion of Ukraine?

Continue Reading As War Rages In Ukraine, Should The UFC Ban Russian Fighters? at MMA News.

Dillian Whyte Reveals Wladimir Klitschko Knocked Out Deontay Wilder In Sparring

Dillian Whyte revealed former unified heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko knocked Deontay Wilder out cold during sparring back in the day. Whyte was among many heavyweights who had traveled to Klitschko’s remote training base at the Stanglwirt resort in Austria. But what he witnessed was a grueling camp that saw Klitschko punish a number of contenders […]

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Dillian Whyte revealed former unified heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko knocked Deontay Wilder out cold during sparring back in the day.

Whyte was among many heavyweights who had traveled to Klitschko’s remote training base at the Stanglwirt resort in Austria. But what he witnessed was a grueling camp that saw Klitschko punish a number of contenders in preparation for his title defenses, including Sam Sexton.

“I was just trying to learn, and then I saw him knocking people out,” Whyte told Sky Sports. “I was thinking ‘you ain’t f**king knocking me out.’ I went in there and I went after him. … He broke Sexton’s nose. I said ‘nah. Woah, you’re not knocking me out. I’m coming.’

“I went in there and started roughing him up and having a proper fight with him. I got sent home for that.”

Wilder Knocked Out Cold

Whyte would eventually return while new faces joined such as current WBC heavyweight champion Wilder. “The Bronze Bomber” has established himself as the most devastating knockout artist in the sport today.

However, he was on the receiving end of a knockout while training with Klitschko. That is why he never had any plans on facing the Ukrainian when the latter was still active according to Whyte:

“I’ve seen him getting knocked out,” Whyte said of Wilder. “Wladimir knocked him out. He knew what happened. He had his hands up. He was roughing Wlad up, bringing the smoke, and he was going wild.

“Wlad backs up, changes his footwork, feinting, feinting, jabs to the body, throws that feint jab, left hook. Wilder had his hands up, he was gone. It wasn’t no knockdown, he was knocked cold. Properly twitching as well. That’s why they probably didn’t want him to fight Wlad, because Wlad was going to fight him as a pro and Wilder never fancied it the whole time.”

Fast forward to present day and Wilder is still WBC heavyweight champion. Anthony Joshua, meanwhile, holds the other heavyweight titles. Having suffered his only defeat to Joshua in 2015, Whyte still plans on becoming heavyweight champion in the future.

“You know what. I’m going to become a world champion, regardless anyway, whatever Klitschko thinks or believes it, I don’t care,” Whyte added.

“I have the mindset, I have the hunger, and I’m good enough. I still haven’t peaked yet, I’m still getting better.”

What do you make of Whyte’s revelations?

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Tyson Fury Reveals Five Ways Wladimir Klitschko Tried To Cheat Before Their Fight

Back in 2015 Tyson Fury earned his claim to fame when he became the first man to defeat Wladimir Klitschko in over a decade. Fury out-classed Klitschko via unanimous decision in Germany. With the victory, Fury picked up the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles. Although Fury came away with the win, it wasn’t all […]

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Back in 2015 Tyson Fury earned his claim to fame when he became the first man to defeat Wladimir Klitschko in over a decade.

Fury out-classed Klitschko via unanimous decision in Germany. With the victory, Fury picked up the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles. Although Fury came away with the win, it wasn’t all smooth sailings for “The Gypsy King,” as he told talkSport.

The lineal heavyweight champion explained five ways that Klitschko tried to cheat before they shared the ring:

“I’m a boxing historian, especially when it comes to heavyweights. Klitschko was a good champion and done well in his career, but as a person I’ve no respect for him at all, none. The man’s a cheater, the man’s an out and out cheater, he’s a jealous person and he’s resentful. When I went to fight Klitschko, it was my first time stepping up and I was a ten-to-one underdog… The win meant so much to him that he was gonna do anything to get it, I mean anything and even when it means cheating.

“Even the week of the fight, they messed around with the weigh-in scales to start with. They said I weighed 17st 9lbs – I’ve not been 17st 9lbs since I was about ten years old. It was another mind game because you think you’ve lost a stone in weight. Even my uncle Peter said, ‘I thought you’ve been eating? Have you not eaten your food?’ I said, ‘I’m 18st 4lbs.’ We went back, on my scales – 18st 4lbs. So that was one little cheat. I said to him across the weigh-in, ‘You’ve rigged the scales, while you’re at it you can take them heels out of your shoes as well. He was as tall as me. Wladimir is 6ft 5ins, I don’t look up at a 6ft 5ins man. I said, ‘You’ve got stilts in your shoes, like platforms.’ So that was two things.”

Fury then explained that while he was moving around the ring canvas before the fight, as he traditionally does before he competes, he felt that the ring had been tampered with. Instead, the canvas felt like a memory foam mattress, as he believes Klitschko tampered with the ring to hinder Fury’s ability to move:

“Then, the day of the fight, I go down to the venue like I do every time, to check the venue out and check the ring out. I get in the ring and there’s ten inches of foam in this ring. It was like a memory foam mattress. I got on it and I said to my dad and my uncle Peter, ‘I cannot fight in this ring.’ I felt like I was on the moon. It’s energy sapping and the thing is that I’m a mover, so he wanted to take the legs away.

“Johnny Nelson [Sky pundit who visited Klitschko during preparations] told me he was training on the same canvas in Austria in his training camp. So he was used to it. For the first time in a long time he was boxing someone who wasn’t bothered about how much money he was getting, who wasn’t bothered about winning his belts. I was there to win. If he’s done that to me, how many people has he done it to over the career? And how many people needed that money and didn’t say anything? I was like, ‘I don’t need the fight anyway, so let’s just go home.’

Once the canvas issue was resolved, Fury pointed out that the gloves he had ordered for the fight were also tampered with. As the mandatory challenger, Fury was allowed to pick his own gloves for the contest. However, Fury was delivered the wrong kind of gloves with just an hour to go before the fight:

“With an hour left to go there was still no fight on, we were going home. I had my flights planned to leave. In the end, Vitali Klitschko said, ‘Take it out.’ And then it was a normal mattress. And then there was the problem with the gloves. In a world title fight as the mandatory challenger you can pick your gloves, whatever you wanna wear. The gloves I ordered were puncher’s gloves and the gloves they gave me were like two big cushions.

“They said, ‘These are the gloves we have, take them or leave them.’ I said, ‘You know what, give me the gloves, I’m not bothered about the gloves.’ At that point we couldn’t fly any gloves in, it was too late in the day. So we took the s***ty gloves that I didn’t want, that was another thing. In championship fights a person from the opposite team comes in the changing room and watches you get [your hands] wrapped up. Vitali was in my changing room, so we sent my dad to go into his changing room and watch him get wrapped up.

“But by the time my dad’s got there, he’s already wrapped up, bandages on, gloves on, ready to go. So dad says, ‘Take them off or we’re going home again.’ Anyway, my dad stormed out the changing room and had an argument with his manager, he said, ‘Come on, let’s go home, they’re cheating c***s. At that point I’m thinking, ‘God almighty, does it mean this much? Do you have to mess around this much to get a victory over a ten-to-one underdog?

“Every single cheat he tried, we pulled him up on it, we made him change and play fair… I believe Wladimir Klitschko was already beaten before he got in the ring on the night. Watching him walk to the ring, he had the face of a loser straight away because all of his little antics didn’t work. All I had to do was go in there, play my part and win.”

Since the victory over Klitschko, Fury has emerged as one of the sport’s biggest stars. He’s on a three-fight win streak, with one of his contests (against Deontay Wilder) going to a Draw. Now, he’s expected to take one more fight before rematching “The Bronze Bomber” in early 2020.

What do you think about Fury’s comments regarding his fight with Klitschko?

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Junior dos Santos Wants Fight With Deontay Wilder

Junior dos Santos wants to do what Conor McGregor did and that is to crossover into the boxing world. The former heavyweight champion has been interested in boxing for a while and has challenged a few boxers over the course of his career. One notable f…

Junior dos Santos wants to do what Conor McGregor did and that is to crossover into the boxing world. The former heavyweight champion has been interested in boxing for a while and has challenged a few boxers over the course of his career. One notable fighter he challenged was former heavyweight king, Wladimir Klitschko, where […]

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