The Russian boxing association RBF congratulated the WBA light heavyweight champion, Dmitrij Biwol, on successfully defending his title against Saul Alvarez.
Bivol is a testament to the strength of Russian boxing, said federation president Tatyana Kiriyenko to the TASS news agency.
Alexander Davydov
sports editor.
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The native of Kyrgyzstan clearly defeated Alvarez, who is considered the big favorite, on points in Las Vegas last Sunday.
It was only the second defeat in 61 fights for the Mexican boxing legend.
Several controversies had arisen before the battle due to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
In an interview with the BBC news channel, former heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko called for the fight to be boycotted.
"Any sanction, and it's nothing personal against the athlete, is against politics," he said.
Biwol paid tribute to Klitschko for his sporting achievements but criticized Klitschko's political role: "It's sad to see that he wants to mix sport and politics," said Biwol, who lives in St. Petersburg and trains in the United States.
For the fight, Biwol was ultimately forbidden from using the Russian flag and playing the national anthem in the ring: "I was surprised how they announced me," Biwol told American media.
"They didn't say I was from St. Petersburg or Kyrgyzstan, but that I was from California."
Biwol can ultimately understand the organizers' decision, for the boxer the fight was primarily the most important thing, he told TASS.
After his biggest career win to date, Biwol once again expressed his sadness about the war in Ukraine, while avoiding direct criticism of Russian politics.
According to his own words, the 31-year-old is primarily an athlete and unqualified to comment on political issues.