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Oleksandr Khyzhniak vs. Eumir Marcial – Men’s middleweight Quarterfinal match photo by Ministry of Youth and Sports (Ukraine) –

10 Most Talented Ukrainian Boxers

Even as longstanding, historic tensions flare up in Ukraine, there’s no doubt that the nation is a proud producer of the best boxers worldwide. Ukraine has been a dominant force in the boxing world with most of its citizens venturing into the combat sport. The nation is noted for being the home of some of the most skilled boxers in recent times who have proceeded to win multiple world titles throughout their careers.

The boxers dominate every division from heavyweight to featherweight. Ukraine also boasts the first boxer in history to hold all four of the major world titles in the cruiserweight division鈥擶BA (Super), WBC, IBF, and WBO鈥攕imultaneously. Here is a list of the top 10 most talented Ukrainian boxers.

1. Wladimir Klitschko

Wladimir Klitschko at the 2018 Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai. photo by Fuzheado –

Wladimir Klitschko is a former professional boxer from Ukraine who competed from 1996 until 2017. He held the world heavyweight title twice, including the unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and Ring magazine belts. Klitschko, a clever and skilled fighter, is regarded as one of the best heavyweight champions of all time. He was known for his strong knockout power, which he achieved by using a powerful jab, straight right and left hook, and fast hand speed, and for a fighter his height, he had exceptional footwork and quickness. His matches could draw a global broadcast viewership of more than 400 million people throughout his time as world heavyweight champion.

He holds the record for the most opponents he has defeated to win the heavyweight title, with 23. He also holds the record for the most unified championship victories and title defences in professional boxing history. Wladimir and Vitali were the brothers with the most victories in world heavyweight title fights when they were both included in the Guinness World Records book in 2011. 

2. Vitali Klitschko

Vitali Klitschko (boxer from Ukraine) and Tomasz Adamek (Polish boxer). During signing for the fight in 2011, Wroc艂aw, Poland photo by S艂awek –

Vitali Klitschko is a Ukrainian politician and former professional boxer who has been the mayor of Kyiv and the leader of the Kyiv City State Administration since June 2014. He competed in amateur boxing, kickboxing, and sport karate all at the same time, with notable success in all combat sports in which he was involved during his early combat years. Klitschko won many world heavyweight titles as a boxer.

From 1999 to 2000, he held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) championship, from 2004 to 2005, the Ring magazine title, and twice he held the WBC title between 2004 and 2013. In total, he defeated 15 opponents in world heavyweight title battles and successfully defended his title 12 times. Vitali and his younger brother Wladimir Klitschko were inducted into the Guinness World Records in 2011 as the brothers with the most world heavyweight title bout victories.

Vitali and Wladimir ruled heavyweight boxing from 2006 to 2015, an era dubbed the “Klitschko Era” in the division. Klitschko last fought in 2012, yet he was still the WBC heavyweight champion at the age of 42 when he announced his retirement in December 2013. 

Click here to read more about Vitali Klitschko.

3. Vasyl Lomachenko

Vasyl Anatoliyovych Lomachenko (Kremenchuk, October 4, 2012) photo by KuRaG –

Vasyl Lomachenko is a professional boxer from Ukraine. Lomachenko made his in-ring debut in 2013. He previously held the WBO featherweight championship from 2014 to 2015, the WBO junior lightweight title from 2016 to 2017, and the combined WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, and Ring magazine lightweight belts from 2018 and 2020. 

He equals Saensak Muangsurin’s record for earning a world championship in the fewest professional fights, becoming the WBO featherweight champion in his third fight. Except for his debut, all of his professional fights were for world championships. In his second professional bout, he made his first main event appearance. He’s ranked by the Ring as the sixth-best active boxer pound for pound in the world as of 2022.

4. Oleksandr Usyk

Oleksandr Usyk – Andrey Knyazev boxing fight, Kiev, Ukraine. photo by Andriy Makukha –

Oleksandr Usyk is a professional boxer from Ukraine. Usyk is largely recognized as one of Ukraine’s greatest boxers of all time. He holds the unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight belts since 2021, The Ring magazine heavyweight title since 2022, and the undisputed cruiserweight title from 2018 to 2019, making him the first cruiserweight champion to hold all four major world titles. 

With his victory over Joshua, Usyk joined Evander Holyfield and David Haye as the only boxers to have unified the cruiserweight world titles and become world heavyweight champions. He became the fourth individual boxer in history after Jermain Taylor, Bernard Hopkins, and Terence Crawford to hold the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO belts at the same time in 2018. Usyk is the first Ukrainian undisputed champion.

His exceptional speed and in-ring intelligence ensured he accomplished his goals, earning his first world championship in his tenth bout and becoming the undisputed champion of his weight class by his fifteenth. Usyk relinquished his cruiserweight belt in 2019 to compete at heavyweight.

Check out the top 10 most famous boxers of all time.

5. Oleksandr Gvozdyk

Gvozdyk Oleksandr Serhiyovych photo by KuRaG –

Oleksandr Gvozdyk is a former professional boxer from Ukraine who competed from 2014 until 2019. From 2018 to 2019, he was the WBC and lineal light-heavyweight champion. Gvozdyk earned a gold medal at the 2013 Summer Universiade and a bronze medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics while competing as an amateur.

Famously referred to as  “The Nail,”  he has an 82.4% knockout-to-win ratio and his name means “nail” in Russian. He is a member of the Ukrainian golden generation of boxing alongside Usyk and Lomachenko.

6. Viktor Postol

Ukrainian professional boxer Viktor Postol held the WBC light-welterweight championship from 2015 to 2016. He had two challenges for the WBO light-welterweight championship in 2016 and 2020. He was placed fourth-best active light welterweight in the world by The Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, BoxRec and Ring as of May 2021. He has participated in 35 fights, winning 31 and only losing 4.

7. Serhiy Dzyndzyruk

Ukrainian professional boxer Sergiy Dzinziruk formerly held the WBO super welterweight title. He finished second in the amateur division at the 1997 World Amateur Boxing Championships, falling to Oleg Saitov in the championship match. He defeated Daniel Santos to claim the WBO world junior middleweight championship (boxer). He successfully defended his title a record six times after that fight.

Additionally, he took home silver in the 1998 European Championship.  He has a 37-1 record (23 KOs).

8. Vyacheslav Senchenko

Vyacheslav Senchenko is a retired Ukrainian boxer. Senchenko competed in the light welterweight division for Ukraine at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, losing in the round of 16.  He made his professional debut in July 2002 and won the WBC CIS and Slovenian Boxing Bureau (CISBB) welterweight championship in his fourth fight, which he defended against Dzmitri Kashkan in February 2003 and Russian Evgeny Ershov in September 2003.

Senchenko finally had the chance to compete for a world championship in 2009, when he faced fellow Ukrainian and WBA World champion Yuriy Nuzhnenko. Both boxers entered the fight unbeaten and with 28 victories. Senchenko dominated and won by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. He held the WBA welterweight belt from 2009 to 2012. 

9. Sergiy Derevyanchenko

Sergiy Derevyanchenko is a professional boxer from Ukraine who has competed for three world middleweight titles: the IBF title in 2018, the IBF and IBO belts in 2019, and the WBC title in 2020. He earned a bronze medal at middleweight in the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships as an amateur.

He was ranked fourth in the world by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, seventh by BoxRec, and fourth by The Ring magazine in 2021. He has a record of 14 wins and 4 losses in 18 fights.

10. Artem Dalakian

Ukraine at the 2020 Summer Olympics photo by Ministry of Youth and Sports (Ukraine) –

Artem Dalakian is a Ukrainian professional boxer. Dalakian has held the WBA flyweight title since 2018. He is ranked third by BoxRec and fourth-best active flyweight by The Ring and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. His record currently stands at 18 wins from 18 fights, 15 of which were TKOs.

Click here to check out the most famous Ukrainians.