Vitali Klitschko has made his choice.
The reigning heavyweight boxing champion of the world will vacate his title to focus on a burgeoning political career amid massive social unrest in his native Ukraine.
See also: Heavyweight Politics: Ukraine's Top Boxer Eyes Presidency
Klitschko — whose punching prowess coupled with a Ph.D. in sport science earned him the nickname "Dr. Ironfist" — announced in October that he will run for president in Ukraine's 2015 election. That created an obvious conflict between Klitschko's champion boxing career and his desire to bring political change to Ukraine. Klitschko must defend his World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title sometime next year for the first time since 2012, or vacate the title completely. But now his mind is made up.
"I feel people need me there," Klitschko told the Associated Press, referring to Ukraine's tumultuous political climate that has brought hundreds of thousands of angry Ukrainians into the streets of Kiev over the past few weeks.
But if you assume Klitschko is just a heavyweight jock with a lightweight interest in social issues, think again. He leads the popular Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR) opposition party. A national hero for his boxing exploits, Klitschko has recently become a symbolic point of pride after joining protesting Ukrainians and even wielding a bullhorn to help diffuse a potentially violent confrontation between demonstrators and riot police earlier this month.
The massive ongoing protests in Ukraine were sparked by President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to back away from a deal to further integrate the former Soviet republic with the European Union through political and free trade agreements.
That move was strongly opposed by Russia, and many see Yanukovych as a tool for Russian president Vladimir Putin. Klitschko's UDAR party (the acronym translates to "punch" in English) advocates a pro-Western platform while taking strong aim at perceived corruption and indifference in Ukraine's political establishment.
An estimated 100,000 Ukrainians hit the streets on Nov. 24 in the first large-scale protest to gain widespread global attention. By Dec. 3, that number had exploded to 1 million people, according to The New York Times.
Klitschko shares a Twitter account with his brother and fellow boxer Vladimir. While Vitali announced his presidential run this autumn, the Klitschko brothers had remained largely silent on social media regarding Ukraine's political situation. But that has changed over the past couple weeks.
The brothers have posted photos of themselves joining public protests. They've also publicly admonished both Yanukovych's policies and his reaction to the protests to their 124,000 followers:
Yanukovych, ur A SHAME of z Ukrainian history since u sent police to #Maidan trying BEAT UP peaceful demonstrators! pic.twitter.com/NrovfgZ8kz
— Klitschko (@Klitschko) December 11, 2013
pic.twitter.com/ePSsdfjHsi
— Klitschko (@Klitschko) December 4, 2013
While Klitschko's boxing career is officially on hold now, that doesn't mean it's over forever. The WBC on Monday gave him the title of "Champion Emeritus," meaning that he can directly challenge the new heavyweight champ if he decides to return to boxing.
But, for now at least, bigger bouts await outside the ring.
Images: Etienne De Malglaive/Getty Images; Christof Koepsel/Getty Images