Boxer in ‘grave condition’ after killing bear that mauled his friend to death

A decorated Russian boxer is in “grave condition” after fighting off and stabbing a bear to death after it killed his friend.

“I heard screams. They shouted, ‘A bear!’” eyewitness Denis Chebotar, 41, told East 2 West news of “The Revenant”-esque saga, which occurred near the Irtysh River in Siberia.

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Professional boxer Ilya Medvedev, 23, was fishing with his friend Vyacheslav “Slava” Dudnik, 48, when the two were attacked by the brown bear. The beast reportedly mauled Dudnik to death before proceeding to attack his younger pugilist pal.

Chebotar was reportedly fastening the team’s boat to the riverbank when he heard screams and shouts of “a bear”, which prompted the angler to rush into the forest to aid his buddies. He later heard gunshots.

Upon arriving at the scene, he “saw Slava dead” and Medvedev “finishing the bear off with a knife.”

The scene that had played out moments before was like an interspecies “Rocky” movie. Prior to Chebotar’s arrival, the boxer — who had participated in the Russian national championships and other national contests — had fired a total of four shots at the fierce critter. Despite sustaining several bullet wounds, the ferocious beast kept mauling the fighter, and even managed to knock the firearm out of his hand.

Left with no other recourse, Medvedev started “stabbing it with a knife,” recounted Chebotar. Finally, he managed to dispatch the predator, but suffered serious wounds during the struggle, East 2 West news reported.

Chebotar dragged the “barely alive” boxer to the boat and transported him to the hospital, where he is currently in intensive care with lacerations to the head and body, per reports from the Uvatsky district, in the Tyumen region.

Authorities have since launched an investigation into the incident.

The International Boxing Association President Umar Kremlev told Russia‘s official state news agency TASS that they would cover the cost of treatment for the 23-year-old.

“We are already in touch with Ilya‘s family and will provide all-round support to him and his parents, a real fighter in a difficult situation, and we very much hope for his speedy recovery,” Kremlev said.

In 2019, Medvedev won a gold medal in the 64kg weight category at the Armed Forces Boxing Championships.

This isn’t the first time someone has literally poked the bear — and come out on top. In 2018, a 78-year-old man from North Carolina survived a mama black bear attack by punching the animal in the nose. Meanwhile, a Colorado couple made waves online in 2019 after battling a 215-pound black bear in their kitchen with nothing but their hands and a baseball bat.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission