A professional boxer is in a “grave” condition in hospital after fighting off and knifing a brown bear to death.

The boxer, who has taken part in the Russian championships and other national competitions, had tried to shoot the beast but it had knocked the gun out of his hands, so he fought with a knife.

He saved his own life in his brave fight with the bear, but he’s in a critical condition in hospital with serious wounds to his head and body.

Another fisherman Denis Chebotar, 41, was securing their small boat on the river bank when he heard screams and desperate shouts of “a bear!”

He rushed into the forest to help his friends and heard shots.

“I heard screams. They shouted: ‘A bear!’

“And that’s all… then shots. When I reached the spot, I saw Slava dead,” he said.

“Ilya was finishing the bear off with a knife,” he said.

“He had time to shoot twice, then obviously retreated, recharged, and made two more shots.”

Yet the fierce bear was still attacking despite its gunshot wounds.

“The fifth cartridge was not completely into the chamber. He had no time…”

The bear knocked the gun away and “Ilya was stabbing it with a knife…”

Finally, he killed the bear but suffered grievous wounds.

Chebotar dragged the “barely alive” boxer to the boat and delivered him to the nearest hospital.

He is now in intensive care in a “grave condition” with lacerated injuries to the head and body, say reports from Uvatsky district, in Tyumen region.

Criminal investigators have begun a probe into the bear attack, say reports.

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