The Klitschko brothers were the heavyweight dominators of the early years of the century.  Now they are key in the war in Ukraine.

Vitali, the eldest, was the first to become world champion. He won the title in 1999, only to lose it a year later. The same thing happened in 2002.

After Vitali’s stumble against Lennox Lewis (he only had two losses in his career) he added 13 consecutive triumphs, all for world titles.

From 2004 to 2008 he had a hiatus but from his return until his retirement (2012) he remained world champion.

Vitali formed his own political party in 2010 (UDAR). He retired from boxing in 2012 upon entering Ukraine's parliament and since 2014 has been the mayor of Kyiv.

Wladimir had a longer run at the top. He was champion for 10 years (2005-2015). Tyson Fury ended his reign.

Two years later (2017), Wladimir was knocked out by Anthony Joshua and decided to retire at 41.

The brothers shared the titles between them and while people always fantasized about a fight between the two, neither Wladimir or Vitali ever wanted it.

After his retirement, Wladimir dedicated himself to social work and stayed very close to his brother Vitali to help him with politics.

With the Russian invasion imminent, both took advantage of their fame to demand international help, and announced that they would take up arms.

Wladimir is more active on social media, denouncing Russia's attacks on Kyiv and giving interviews to international media.

Due to their high profile, they are on a Chechen 'Death Squad' hit list.