The Vitali Klitschko story is remarkable

[cthulu2016]

This OP is very basic information about something I know relatively little about, but I know that not all GD readers follow sports, so it will be of interest to some.

Imagine if Venus and Serena Williams went back and forth for a few years and then Venus left tennis to become a senator and presidential candidate, or leader of the Occupy movement, while Serena won every grand slam event for 15 years.

It's like that. When you hear about Vitali Klitschko, leader of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform, in the news it's the same guy who once held the only heavyweight belt not held by brother Wladimir Klitschko, who himself remains the heavyweight champion after a loooong time. Since Vitali and Wladimir wouldn't fight each other, and Wladimir was the better boxer, there wasn't much room for Vitali so instead he became a world-known politician. (Don't know if Wladimir and Hayden Panetierre are still together. They were for a while there.)

So now Vitali is on the remparts calling on the protesters to defend their camp. ""We will not go anywhere from here,'' Klitschko told the crowd, speaking from a stage in the square as tents and tires burned around him, releasing huge plumes of smoke. "This is an island of freedom and we will defend it,'' he said."

A dramatic life.

One thing about new-born democracies is that without a well developed democratic history, name recognition is super important. Thus, in such states we see the political emergence of playwrights, scientists, singers or, in this case, boxers. (Or, in the not so newborn democracy of California, bad actors.)

[bigdarryl]

1. I though you were talking about the heavyweight boxer

When I saw the headline.They have the same name

[cthulu2016]

2. No, that's the point. It is the same guy

Vitali Klitschko (Former heavyweight champion) and Wladimir Klitschko (heavyweight champion the last decade+) are brothers. Both have held heavyweight titles, and there was a time folks thought Vitali was the more gifted boxer of the two.

And for a while Wladimir held one sanctioning body's champinship while Vitali held another and the only way to unify the titles would have been for them to fight each other, which they refused to do.

Then Vitali retired and ran for parliament in Ukraine.

[bigdarryl]

3. Oh ok I wasn't aware he got into politics

Thanks for that correction