PB: You identify yourself as Ukrainian. Yet, you were born in Kyrgyzstan, which is a Central Asian republic that was part of the former Soviet Union. How did your family end up there?

VK: We are Ukrainian. But my father was a military pilot, and that's where he was stationed. My brother, Wladimir, was born in Kazakhstan. When I was growing up, I changed schools more than 10 times. I think in the United States, I'd be called a "military brat." But because of that, I'm able to move and adjust to new places. Today, I live in Germany.

PB: Did your early exposure to the military also result in a certain type of discipline -- a discipline you need as a fighter?

VK: Yes. Both my father and mother were very strict with me, and it had an impact on the rest of my life. I know how to be strict with myself when it's time to train for a fight.

PB: The Soviet system was obviously a big part of your family's life. What are your feelings about the way the Soviet Union operated?

VK: Many people in the former Soviet Union have many different feelings about that. I was proud to be part of the Soviet Union. My father was a communist. Wherever we moved, we had exactly the same education. I studied languages and sciences. I thought that this system worked very well.

When I read about the United States, many of the reports were negative. I thought of the United States like an enemy, and the Americans as an enemy people. So it was a big surprise in 1989 when I went to a competition in the United States and saw a different country than what I'd imagined. The people were very friendly. When I came back to the Soviet Union, I asked my father, "Why do we dislike the United States?" I realized that so much of what I'd learned had been untrue. I just hoped that the Americans I met were asking their fathers the same questions and that they finally understood that everyone who spoke Russian wasn't bad.

PB: Do you think the people in the former Soviet Union would be better off if the country had never dissolved?

VK: Right now, there are a lot of problems in those countries. It's been very difficult to make the change from communism to capitalism. I like to think that the young generation will have an easier time. Democracy is good. It's good for people to have information, instead of just being told everything by the government. If the Soviet Union still existed, I probably would not have had the chance to work in the West. I never dreamed that I'd be able to travel freely to all the places I go. And I'm taking advantage of this opportunity.

PB: Do you ever have a problem with people who try to impress their friends by starting fights with you in public?

VK: Believe it or not, I never fight in the street. I never fight outside the ring. The last time I had a fight that wasn't organized, I was maybe 12 years old.