A HERO boxer who fought off a bear that killed one of his friends on a fishing trip has been left unrecognisable by his injuries.
Ilya Medvedev, 24, made his first public appearance after he stabbed to death a brown bear that attacked him and his pal Vyacheslav ‘Slava’ Dudnik, 48.
Slava did not survive the attack, but the promising young fighter managed to fight off and kill the animal.
The boxer, who has taken part in the national competitions, had initially tried to shoot the beast in a desperate attempt to defend himself.
However, after the huge bear had knocked the gun out of his hands, he was forced to finish it off with knife.
Ilya was taken to hospital by boat where he had been recovering from serve injuries to his head and limbs.
He is due to undergo extensive facial reconstruction as he continues his recovery after the attack in October.
London 2012 Olympic gold medalist Egor Mekhontsev dubbed him a “real hero” as he posed with him at a boxing event in Russia.
Mekhontsev shared a picture of himself posing with Ilya on Instagram – which was liked nearly 2,000 times.
He said that the attack left Ilya in medically induced coma.
And he said he believes the young man’s boxing skills helped him fight off the raging animal, hailing him as a “real fighter”.
“Now Ilya is conducting rehabilitation after the experience and preparing for further operations,” the champ wrote.
Mekhontsev went on: “Many have read his story in the press of when he went fishing with two friends and met a bear that attacked the guys.
“The bear killed one fisherman right away, then took to our hero, Ilya Medvedev.
“He was already under the bear and it mutilated him, trying to tear him apart. Ilya had very few chances to survive… he survived on his own and saved his friend.
“In his pocket, he fumbled for a knife while the bear tormented him, and stabbed the bear several times with the knife.
“As it turned out later, these were blows to the vital organs of the bear. The bear retreated and died not far from him.”
Reports at the time said the bear attacked Ilya’s pal Slava before charging at the young boxer.
Another fisherman Denis Chebotar, 41, was securing their small boat on the river banks at the time, heard shouts of “bear” and then shots from a gun.
He said: “When I reached the spot, I saw Slava dead.”
“He had time to shoot twice, then obviously retreated, recharged, and made two more shots,” onlooker Chebotar explained.
“The fifth cartridge was not completely into the chamber. He had no time.”
After miraculously defeating the brown bear, which can weigh up to 600kg, Chebotar dragged the “barely alive” boxer to the boat and delivered him to the nearest hospital.
The Tyumen Boxing Federation also backed Medvedev on social media as they wished him a happy birthday last week.
“We wish Ilya a speedy recovery, good health, good spirits and peace of mind,” the federation said.
