If escalation goes up... We have to be ready to defend our independence and integrity of our country -- and civil defense also have [ sic ] to be prepared, we hope this never happens, this [ is ] worst case, but we have to be prepared.

Vitali Klitschko

Vitali Volodymyrovych Klitschko (; Ukrainian: Віта́лій Володи́мирович Кличко́ Ukrainian pronunciation: [wiˈtɑl⁽ʲ⁾ij woloˈdɪmɪrowɪtʃ klɪtʃˈkɔ]; born 19 July 1971) is a Ukrainian politician and former professional boxer. He currently serves as Mayor of Kyiv and head of the Kyiv City State Administration, having held both offices since June 2014. Klitschko is a former leader of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc and a former Member of the Ukrainian Parliament. He became actively involved in Ukrainian politics in 2005 and combined this with his professional boxing career until his retirement from the sport in 2013.As a boxer, Klitschko won multiple world heavyweight championships. He held the WBO title from 1999 to 2000, the Ring magazine title from 2004 to 2005, and the WBC title twice between 2004 and 2013. Overall, Vitali defeated 15 opponents in world heavyweight title fights and made 12 successful title defences. In 2011, Vitali and his younger brother Wladimir Klitschko entered the Guinness World Records as the pair of brothers with most world heavyweight title fight wins (30 at the time; 40 as of 2020). From 2006 until 2015, Vitali and Wladimir (also a multiple-time world champion) dominated heavyweight boxing, a period typically known as the "Klitschko Era" of the division.Standing at 2.01 metres (6 ft 7 in) and usually entering fights at a weight of around 250 pounds (110 kg), Vitali was renowned for having exceptional ring dominance, as well possessing a formidable 87% knockout percentage at the end of his career. His only two losses came via a shoulder injury and a deep cut above his eye, both of which were recorded as stoppages rather than outright knockouts; in both fights he was leading on the judges' scorecards. Klitschko's last fight was in 2012, but he remained the

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