08 Mar

Bogachuk Promoter: "Sergey Could Have Been Mobilized into the Ukrainian Army"

Promoter of Ukrainian middleweight boxer (up to 69.8 kg) Sergey Bogachuk (23-1, 23 KOs), Tom Loeffler, shared how Sergey faced the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

"Sergey Bogachuk has a very interesting story. He was in the USA. We needed to send him to Ukraine to extend his visa, and we arranged a meeting. I distinctly remember the date. We had an appointment on March 14 at the US consulate in Ukraine, in Kyiv. He was there, waiting for his meeting. And suddenly, on February 24, Russia invades Ukraine.

So, now the borders are closed. Men of Sergey's age are prohibited from leaving the country. Sergey's brother is in the army. He's in his town, in Vinnytsia. Rockets are hitting the city center. It was really a terrifying time.

We had to get official permission from the Minister of Sports for Sergey to leave the country, continue his boxing career, and fight for Ukraine. It could easily have been that he would be mobilized into the Ukrainian army.

This shows you how delicate the balance of life is. I know many people in Ukraine who are associated with the Klitschko brothers. It's not reported as widely as it used to be, but they are losing many people every day in this war, defending their country. Sergey has a very compelling story," said Loeffler.

The fight for the WBC middleweight title between Sergey Bogachuk and Sebastian Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KOs) will take place on March 30 in Las Vegas, USA.

The hybrid war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine started in 2014 with the annexation of the Crimean peninsula. On February 24, 2022, the occupying forces crossed Ukraine's sovereign borders along the entire common border, including through the Republic of Belarus. Since then, tens of thousands of civilians have fallen victim to Russia's unjustified aggression.

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