Ukrainian hero and former world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has been criticised for calling on Russian boxers to be banned from competition amid the country’s military invasion of Ukraine.
Sports stars from Russia and Belarus continue to face uncertain futures amid Vladimir Putin's widely condemned military assault on neighbouring Ukraine. Millions have fled the country, and the European response has spilled over into the sporting arena on various fronts.
In tennis, Wimbledon announced Russian and Belarusian players will be banned from competing in the prestigious tournament, which is set to begin in June. It means the likes of US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and World No.4 Aryna Sabalenka will be absent from the tournament.
Klitschko - along with brother Vitali - agrees with the sentiment of the Championships, and does not believe Russian boxers should be allowed to compete. The brothers have taken up arms to defend their homeland of Ukraine against the ongoing invasion by Russia.
The duo have vehemently protested Dmitry Bivol receiving the opportunity to earn a lucrative shot at Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez. Bivol, who is set to defend his title against Canelo on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, urged the former heavyweight champions to avoid mixing sports and politics.
“All his career I support him, I liked how he was fighting and of course I was glad when he won,” Bivol said. “He is [a] sportsman, he should know sports and politics is different. He was [an] athlete. Now he is politician. It is sad that wants to shake it up and mix sport and politics.”
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The WBA has removed Russian boxers from their rankings. It has also outlawed Russian boxers entering the ring with their home flag or have the national anthem played before sanctioned bouts.
Bivol has openly condemned the war, but the Klitschko brothers still believe Russians should be banned from fighting while the invasion is ongoing. Speaking to BBC Radio, Klitschko - who retired in 2016 - said: “[Bivol should] absolutely not [be facing Canelo].
“Every sanction, and it’s nothing against the personality or athletes, it’s about the politics of Russia. Every Russian representative in this case needs to be sanctioned, because this way we show to Russia that the world is against this senseless war and that there’s no good in this war.”
