(AP) KIEV, Ukraine -- Newly retired heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko said he would run in Ukraine's parliamentary elections in March.
Klitschko made the announcement Saturday after being wooed by numerous political factions since his surprise retirement last month.
He is to top the list of a newly formed bloc that includes a party headed by the country's finance minister and the Pora youth movement, which helped organize last year's Orange Revolution mass protests.
He wouldn't rule out a bid for Kiev's mayoral post.
The 34-year-old was a prominent supporter of the Orange Revolution, which propelled Viktor Yushchenko to the presidency. Yushchenko's political party also tried to persuade Klitschko to join its ranks.
Ukrainian voters cast ballots for a political party, which then distributes seats based on its party list. Parties try to put high-profile names on their list to attract voters, even though the person might give up the seat to someone else lower down the list.
Klitschko retired after a knee injury forced him to pull out of a title defense against Hasim Rahman in Las Vegas.
