Heavyweight Politics: Ukraine's Top Boxer Eyes Presidency

 

For years, Vitali Klitschko has battered opponents in the boxing ring while taking his own share of gruesome punishment in one of the world's most brutal sports. The World Boxing Council's reigning heavyweight champion stands 6-feet-7-inches tall and is known for brute strength, usually winning fights by knocking out his opponents. Along the way he earned a Ph.D. in sports science, leading to a popular nickname worthy of a James Bond villain: Dr. Ironfist.
More recently, however, Klitschko has entered another rough-and-tumble arena — politics. Klitschko's stated intention to run for president of his native Ukraine in 2015 is less visceral and largely unknown to many casual boxing fans around the world, who mostly recognize him for his fearsome punches. But in Ukraine, where Klitschko leads a popular opposition party amid ongoing turmoil in the streets of Kiev, his mission supersedes any sport.
It also presents a complicated choice for Klitschko himself: defend his WBC title for the first time since 2012 sometime next year, or devote his full attention to unseating Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych in 2015.