KIEV, Ukraine – Ukrainian ex-world boxing champion Vitali Klitschko has announced he will not run for president and will instead throw his support behind billionaire businessman Petro Poroshenko.
Klitschko told a congress of his UDAR party Saturday that he plans to run for mayor of the capital city, Kiev.
His endorsement will prove a valuable boost for Poroshenko, who played a prominent role in the protest movement that led to the toppling last month of President Viktor Yanukovych.
Poroshenko, the owner of a major confectionery company and a former foreign minister, already leads in the polls for the May 25 presidential election and is seen as likely to beat ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who announced her candidacy this week.
The Kiev mayoral election is also scheduled for May 25.
Fox News' "Antisemitism Exposed" newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world.