When Artem Khrebet from the 94th battalion of the 107th TRO ZSU brigade stepped into the ring against Mikhail Drobotenko from the 57th motorized infantry brigade, both on two prosthetics, the arena hall "Terminal" in Brovary fell silent. It wasn't about spectacle. It was about normalcy.
A record no one wanted to set
The bout between Khrebet ("Grizzly") and Drobotenko ("North") became the first boxing match in Ukraine between veterans with double amputation under the professional adaptive boxing regulations. Artem won. But the very fact that this record became possible at all is a direct consequence of the scale of losses: thousands of veterans with amputations need reintegration, and sport proves to be one of the few real tools available.
"Each of their movements and each punch is a story of struggle and recovery"
KOVA about the Khrebet and Drobotenko bout
The event took place as part of an international charity boxing evening from SpartaBox Faniian Promotions. The Ukrainian Boxing League of Veterans of Combat Operations, together with the Brovary City Boxing Federation and the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, organized it. For boxers without limbs, MHP company purchased specialized wheelchairs specifically designed for adaptive boxing.
What happened alongside
Parallel to the veterans' bouts, titles were on the line: Aram Faniyan defended his WBO Global belt in the first middleweight division against undefeated Argentine Ignacio Iribarra (15–0–1), and Viktor Postol — the 42-year-old former WBC world champion — fought for the IBO International title against Mexican Francisco Sandoval (12–1–1).
The broadcast was carried on MEGOGO. Promoter Igor Faniyan openly admits that during a full-scale war, one cannot speak of boxing as a business — and yet every year the number of veterans' bouts in his programs grows.
Why Brovary and not Kyiv
The choice of location was not accidental. Brovary has its own strong boxing school — Postol himself came from here — and a City Boxing Federation that actively integrates the veterans' direction. After the evening, the Brovary community received thanks from KOVA for systematic support of boxing development in the region.
- 12 bouts for the evening: 6 professional, 6 veterans
- First bout on two prosthetics under professional regulations — a record for Ukraine
- Live broadcast on MEGOGO
- Partners include the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, Nike, the Boxing Federation of Ukraine
KOVA chairman Mykola Kalashnyk called the event proof that "veterans' sports are about recovery, team spirit and new victories," and added that Kyiv region "once again showed: here they create opportunities for new victories and new life".
The question that remains after this evening is: will adaptive boxing under professional regulations become a separate discipline with its own competition calendar — or will it remain a touching insert in the program between pro-bouts, until state funding or international recognition appears?
