Hollywood celebrity makes visit to Ukrainian boxing club.
In the past couple of decades, Ukraine has become one of the most prominent boxing nations in the world. This started with Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, the heavyweight brothers who reigned together at the top of their division.
However, Ukraine proved to be just getting started, as they would continue to pump out contenders and talents who would go on to establish themselves as all-time greats.
Vasiliy Lomachenko would post one of the greatest amateur careers of all time, then become a three-weight world champion in a mere 12 professional fights.
Then there is, of course, Oleksandr Usyk, who became undisputed champion at cruiserweight before then picking up all the belts on two separate occasions at heavyweight.
The country has also produced other contenders and titlists like Serhii Bohachuk, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, and Denys Berinchyk, all of whom have proudly represented their nation amidst a very dark time.
Well, Ukraine has now had one of its boxing clubs in the headlines, and for the reason that Hollywood actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie has paid it a visit.
Having previously served as a special envoy for refugees under the United Nations, the American star visited the Spadkoyemets boxing club in Kharkiv, where her 18-year-old son Knox trained alongside Ukrainian defenders in a Muay Thai session.
Pavlo Chyshko (owner of the Spadkoyemets club) stated that he “had no idea” that he would be meeting the celebrity after receiving a booking for his gym for the 6th of September, stating in a video on Instagram that Jolie and her son were “real class”.
Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv lies close to the Russian border and is a daily target for drones and missile strikes. It is known that Jolie has visited Ukraine twice since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
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