Viktor Milevskyi's championship ambitions: from professional boxing to rare earth metals

Owner of the ONK Group and Global Ukrainian Promotion, Viktor Milevskyi, talks about Serhiy Radchenko’s championship bout and his belief in the sustainable development of Ukraine’s economy.

Viktor Milevskyi, the owner of the ONK Group, founded the promotion company Global Ukrainian Promotion a year ago. The results of its work are impressive — on May 1st, Serhiy Radchenko will fight for the WBC Bridgerweight World Title (up to 101.6 kg).

For the first time in the history of Ukrainian professional boxing, a championship mega-fight will take place in Africa. Radchenko’s opponent will be the current champion, 32-year-old South African Kevin Lerena. The mega-fight is set to take place in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa.

«When I said a year ago that in 2025 our boxer would fight for the WBC title, no one believed me», says Viktor Milevskyi: «But in the end, my words turned into action. We already have a signed contract for the fight, and Serhiy is in training camp, preparing diligently for the most important match of his professional boxing career.

Radchenko is facing a tough test. Lerena has had 33 fights, winning 30. In 2022 in London, Kevin fought British boxer Daniel Dubois and knocked him down twice in the first round. In 2015 in Denmark, Lerena defeated Ihor Pylypenko. In 2018 in South Africa, he beat Dmytro Kucher, and in Azerbaijan — Roman Golovashchenko. Serhiy will be the fourth Ukrainian among Lerena’s opponents and will try to break this negative streak of defeats for us.

Radchenko has the necessary experience — he previously worked as a sparring partner in the training camps of Wladimir Klitschko and Oleksandr Usyk».

 

Переглянути цей допис в Instagram

 

Допис, поширений Mykola Kovalchuk (@kovalchukmykola)

The careers of other boxers from Global Ukrainian Promotion are also progressing. 23-year-old Yaroslav Mykhailushko became the WBC Youth World Champion in 2024. He has a record of 10 wins in 10 fights, 9 of which he won by knockout. 24-year-old Maks Molodan has a perfect record of 7 wins in 7 bouts.

At the same time, Viktor Milevskyi supports youth teams in football, hockey, and boxing in his native Odesa region. The owner of the ONK Group believes in a bright future for Ukrainian sports and the sustainable development of Ukraine’s economy.

«These are interconnected things», Viktor explains: «In the US and UK, the professional boxing market is driven by solvent fans who pay significant sums for pay-per-view broadcasts and event tickets. In our country, the situation is different for now.

But I truly believe that Ukraine has all the potential to be among the top countries in the world — not just in sports achievements, but also in terms of economy, security, and the well-being of Ukrainians».

 

Переглянути цей допис в Instagram

 

Допис, поширений World Boxing Council Ukraine🇺🇦 (@wbc_ukraine)

«Imagine a future where Ukraine is a global leader in the extraction and processing of rare earth metals», continues Viktor Milevskyi, finalizing his vision of the world ten years from now: «Lithium, nickel, cobalt — the key resources for electric vehicles, batteries, and high-tech industries — are mined and processed at ultra-modern Ukrainian facilities. Hydrogen technologies and lithium-ion batteries are taking over the world.

We will build innovative enterprises and automated mining complexes. We will use an eco-friendly approach — sustainable development without harming the planet.

Ukraine will be not only the breadbasket of Europe but also a strategic hub of the global industry. The energy of the future is in our hands! For some, this may sound like science fiction — just like my forecasts about the rise of Global Ukrainian Promotion did a year ago».