LOS ANGELES – The audible grunts of the Ukrainian fighter pierce a packed Wild Card Boxing Club as the heavy bag rocks violently with each impact.

No, unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is not in town for some movie work. His countryman and former champion Vitali Klitschko is occupied by war as mayor of Kiev, while three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko is mulling retirement and Serhii Bohachuk is scouting the deep junior-middleweight division.

This Ukrainian shares much in common with those guys. He has title fight ambitions, is heading toward a Saturday night main event and is watching out for loved ones –including his brother – residing in the peril caused by Russia’s deadly invasion of the country.

The product of South Korean parents, Arnold Khegai was born 5,000 miles away in Ukraine after his great-grandparents splintered like others torn by the Korean War and wound up in Eastern Europe. 

He only left when the Russian invasion began, moving his wife and now 5-year-old son to the safety of France while training in Los Angeles.

“I’m hoping to go back [to Ukraine] when they stop the war,” Khegai said, well aware of the fracture in that effort stemming from Friday’s Oval Office argument between President Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“I don’t want to speak about it, it’s very hard,” Khegai said. “The whole world has helped Ukraine, the U.S. included.

“It’s hard and when it started, it was very hard. It’s life. Every day, we wait. It’s more than three years now. I try to keep focused on boxing, but my family – my brother and friends – are in Ukraine when I need to be focused on my fights.”

A 32-year-old featherweight ranked as high as No. 2 by the WBO, Khegai, 22-1-1 (14 KOs), heads to Saturday night’s ProBox TV main event at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California, against former three-time title challenger Joet Gonzalez, 26-4 (15 KOs), of Southern California.

Victory moves him closer to WBO champion Rafael Espinoza, and since he’s No. 12 in the IBF to champion Angelo Leo of ProBox TV and No. 14 to WBC champion Stephen Fulton, who dealt Khegai his only loss by unanimous decision in 2020, much is at stake against the similarly desperate Gonzalez, 31, who has dropped title shots to Shakur Stevenson (2019 unanimous decision), Emanuel Navarrete (2021 unanimous decision) and Luis Alberto Lopez (2023 unanimous decision). 

“This name is very good for me. It’s my next step and very important to show where I am,” Khegai said. “I went many years without a big fight like this. I’m very excited about it. I know this fight is very hard, because Joet fights very hard, has a good style and a big name.

“I hope after this fight, I can fight for a belt, but I can’t think of that for long. I need all my focus on this fight.”

Khegai’s trainer Marvin Somodio said his fighter’s work ethic is his best asset, as he’s made himself an effective boxer and puncher.

“If I tell him to do more of one, he’ll do it,” Somodio said. “I’ve told him every fight is important, but you cannot lose your spot. If you lose, you lose your spot.

“Arnold wants to fight for a world title and his life is not easy. Boxing is the only way he can improve his life.”

A Top Rank product, Khegai said his conditioning is superior as he heads to the bout, with Florida-based ProBox TV staging its second fight in California in two months, with another to follow in two weeks in San Bernardino, California.

“People have said [Khegai] hasn’t had a good opponent. Now is the time to show them who he is, and ProBox is a very good platform for us,” Somodio said.

“I heard from Top Rank [last year] that he was going to fight the champions, but the plan has changed. Because we have new champions [Fulton, Leo, Espinoza), we’ve had to restart again. We should get the opportunity if we both win. It makes so much sense, because they’ll see Arnold winning a main event. He can fight for the title next.”

Whether it’s considering what’s going on back home or looking ahead to Saturday’s fight, Khegai knows the stakes are high.

“I know if he beats me, he takes my place in the rankings. If I win, my next fight is for a belt,” Khegai said. “For both of us, it’s a big opportunity.”