Will Wladimir Klitschko return to the ring and who could he fight?
Kyiv • UNN
Turki Alalshikh, the main investor in boxing, offered Wladimir Klitschko to return to the ring at 48 years old. At stake is the record of the oldest world champion and a multi-million dollar fee.
News increasingly appears in the media: legendary boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko will return to the ring. The Ukrainian is being called to box by the main investor in pugilistic sports, the Saudi Turki Alalshikh. While Wladimir mostly denies his comeback, he leaves intrigue, emphasizing that anything is possible. The fact is that tens of millions of dollars and breaking a famous record are at stake.
Wladimir Klitschko is, without a doubt, one of the best heavyweights in boxing history. He was a world champion for almost 10 years. Only Floyd Patterson and Joe Louis managed to stay at the top for so long. From 2006 to 2015, Klitschko defended his titles 18 times, and 23 times throughout his career. In this regard, he is second only to the aforementioned Joe Louis. Klitschko retired from boxing after suffering two consecutive defeats. However, he may return in 2025, as he previously said he dreams of breaking George Foreman's record and becoming the oldest world heavyweight champion. Given this, the editorial board of UNN decided to recall Wladimir Klitschko's sports career and gather all the "pros" and "cons" regarding the Ukrainian's possible comeback.
Klitschko - backstory. Five championships between the two.
1996 was a landmark year in Wladimir Klitschko's career. Despite expert expectations, he won gold at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. The little-known Klitschko immediately became a star in Ukraine. He was predicted a great future. Without much thought, Wladimir, along with his brother Vitali, who did not compete in the Olympics due to a doping scandal, turned professional. This marked the beginning of a new era of Ukrainian fighters in the great sport of boxing.
Wladimir and Vitali moved to Germany. They began training at the Hamburg boxing club "Universal Box-Promotion". From the very beginning of their careers, the brothers chose colorful sports nicknames with their matchmakers: Wladimir became "Doctor Steelhammer", and Vitali "Doctor Ironfist". The word "doctor" in the phrases is not accidental. The fact is that the brothers became candidates in the scientific world, defending their dissertations in pedagogy. And they confirmed their status as "hammer" and "fist" in the ring.
Vitali won the world championship title three times in his career. In June 1999, he knocked out Briton Herbie Hide and took the WBO belt. He secured his next championship in April 2004, beating Corrie Sanders. This time, Vitali was awarded the WBC belt. For the same title, after a four-year hiatus, the elder Klitschko fought again in 2008 - forcing Nigerian Samuel Peter to capitulate in his corner.
The younger of the brothers, Wladimir, won one less championship, but generally achieved more in the sports arena, being a champion for almost 10 years, becoming a dominator in the division. He won his first WBO title in October 2000. He outboxed Chris Byrd on points. He then defended this belt five times, dealing with the difficult Derrick Jefferson, Francois Botha, another Olympic champion Ray Mercer, and the then-star Jameel McCline.
Bright victories turned the younger Klitschko into a world star. Everyone expected his probable duel against the legendary Briton Lennox Lewis. But before meeting the outstanding champion, Wladimir had to pass the South African Corrie Sanders. Sanders was then a clear underdog. He was given a maximum of six rounds, but what happened in the ring shocked everyone: Sanders brutally knocked out Wladimir in the second round, sending the Ukrainian to the canvas four times during the fight. Everyone thought it was an accident. However, subsequent events showed the regularity of Wladimir's career decline.
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A year later, Klitschko again entered a championship bout. Wladimir could have won the same WBO belt, but it was not meant to be. Klitschko lost by knockout for the second time in a row. In the 5th round, he was beaten by American Lamon Brewster. After such a failure, analysts and boxing fans wrote Wladimir off. They said, "he was overrated, he's nothing special, so he can hang up his boxing gloves." Vitali also advised his brother to do this. He admitted this later in an interview. Despite the advice and devastating criticism, the younger Klitschko did not give up and returned once more to climb to the top.
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In 2005, he defeated Cuban Eliseo Castillo and young top prospect Samuel Peter. These triumphs again led Wladimir to a championship fight. For the second time, he was lucky enough to meet Chris Byrd, who then held the IBF belt. After 6 one-sided rounds, in the 7th, the Ukrainian finally knocked out the American, becoming a two-time world champion. This very fight began Wladimir's long-term dominance in the heavyweight division. It ended only in November 2015. During this time, "Steelhammer" added WBA and WBO titles to his IBF belt. He conducted a total of 23 title defenses. Further, so as not to delve into all the details of the Ukrainian's subsequent fights, we decided to highlight 5 of the best:
- W (UD) 12 Sultan Ibragimov
- W TKO 11 Tony Thompson
- W (UD) 12 Alexander Povetkin
- W (UD) 12 David Haye
- W KO 5 Kubrat Pulev
At the end of 2015, as we already noted, Wladimir sensationally lost on points to the young Briton Tyson Fury. Tyson neutralized the Ukrainian's main weapon - the left jab, so he deservedly triumphed.
In April 2017, Klitschko had his last fight to date. In a hundred-thousand-seat arena in London, he lost by knockout in the 11th round to Anthony Joshua. Although everything initially went differently for the champion. During the fight, Klitschko himself could have knocked out the Briton. He sent him to the canvas in the 6th round, but could not finish him off. In the second half of the fight, the Ukrainian's strength left him, and he capitulated. Wladimir Klitschko retired after this defeat.
Possible comeback of Wladimir Klitschko
For over six years, rumors have circulated in the press several times: Klitschko might return. However, "Steelhammer" constantly refuted them. There are enough reasons for the appearance of information about Wladimir's return: perhaps the Ukrainian's fans strongly wanted to see their champion in the ring, so they made such "leaks," or perhaps it was Klitschko's own doing to regain media attention. However, the ex-champion never made a comeback and left fewer chances for a legendary return.
But everything changed in December 2024. Rumors again surfaced in the press that "Steelhammer" would box. It became especially clear that this could happen after the WBC congress. The return of Vlad was desired by the main investor in boxing, the Saudi Turki Alalshikh. After receiving the "Man of the Year" award in boxing from the WBC, Turki said the following:
I want to see you (Wladimir) in the ring again. I heard you are looking for a chance to fight for the championship belt again. Let's wait for the results of the Usyk vs. Fury 2 and Dubois vs. Parker fights. And I will ask the WBC, IBF, WBA, and WBO to give you the opportunity to fulfill your dream. To fulfill a dream in sports.
By "dream," Alalshikh meant breaking George Foreman's record, who became the oldest world heavyweight champion at 45. Wladimir is currently 48.
Wladimir reacted to the top promoter's words as follows:
"Records are made to be broken and new ones set. Today I don't know, I can't look into tomorrow, like my brother. But I will continue to keep myself in good shape."
The comeback was also fueled by representatives from the "Steelhammer" team. Coaches, managers, and promoters all said the same thing, as if to say, "we don't know anything for sure, but we're not against such a return." And now, finally, a few days ago, Wladimir again made his statement about another appearance in the ring. He answered briefly: "I'm not interested in that." But did he put an end to it with this answer? Probably not.
Why Wladimir Klitschko will return to the ring
As impractical as it may seem, money could be the Ukrainian's main motivation. Wladimir earned a lot during his career. Fights brought him between 5 and 15 million dollars. But such sums are nothing compared to what Turki Alalshikh can offer. If the investor paid 50, 80, 100 million to Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Oleksandr Usyk, then Wladimir should expect to earn no less. For example, 70 million for one fight is almost as much as the younger Klitschko earned in ten or even more fights. At 48, adding a huge fortune to his bank account – no one would refuse.
Previously, Wladimir was definitely the best, until another Ukrainian, Oleksandr Usyk, won the undisputed heavyweight championship. Although Klitschko never spoke about competition with Oleksandr, anyone who understands boxing more or less might consider the idea of a competition for a greater legacy between the Ukrainians, because the greatness of one champion is evaluated in comparison with another champion. However, a Klitschko vs. Usyk fight during wartime would hardly be necessary; it would not be understood in their homeland. But for Klitschko to fight the winner of the Dubois-Parker pair and win – that means claiming the title of the greatest Ukrainian fighter again. And then let the analysts and fans of pugilism figure out who is first – Usyk or Klitschko.
This is an honorable and great title for everyone who has ever worn boxing gloves. The oldest champion is still considered Bernard Hopkins, who won belts at 49. But Hopkins did it in the light heavyweight division (up to 79.4 kg). In heavyweight, as we said, the oldest is George Foreman. In 1994, at the age of 45, he knocked out Michael Moorer and held the championship title until June 1995, that is, until he was 46. Wladimir is two years older now. If he wins, he will break this record. Therefore, the younger Klitschko certainly has motivation, and it may still push him to another fight.
Why Wladimir will not box
Age itself is the biggest opponent for every champion. All famous boxers could not stop in time, so they lost every time. Moreover, they capitulated precisely against opponents whom they could have torn apart a few years ago. Examples include Roy Jones Jr., Evander Holyfield, David Haye, Erik Morales, and especially Mike Tyson. Tyson's last fight was against blogger Jake Paul. The once formidable "Iron Mike" could do nothing at 58. Jake Paul openly gave in to Tyson and defeated him on points. This fight fully answered the question: why you can't enter the ring at an advanced age.
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Wladimir is not much younger than Tyson. Moreover, Klitschko will face an elite fighter, not an internet champion. So, will Wladimir be able to defeat Dubois or Parker now, if 8 years ago he was already in "subpar condition" against Anthony Joshua? In April 2017, let's remember, the Ukrainian no longer had his past speed, timing, and reaction. Hence the next question: why should they appear when the boxer is almost half a century old?
Using Foreman as an example, George won his "oldest championship" unconvincingly. He knocked out Moorer with one punch, hopelessly losing the fight. His punch, no matter what they say, the American threw with hope, "maybe it will reach," and it did reach his opponent's chin. The same can happen with Wladimir. After all, he still has his punch, as it's the last thing a boxer loses. However, relying only on a straight right or a hook is pointless.
If Wladimir loses, he will be attributed the role of a boxer who came out for money - this could ruin his reputation. The fighter's sports legacy will suffer. Klitschko will not risk that. Throughout his sports life, Wladimir has repeatedly said that status and reputation are most important to him. The ex-champion stated that he wants to inspire young people to play sports and lead a healthy lifestyle with his authority.
A defeat will one hundred percent affect health. However, so will a victory. Wladimir will not be able to avoid punches at that age. There is a high probability of suffering a stroke, heart attack, or brain tumor. An example is Muhammad Ali, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Given this, Wladimir will think a hundred times before taking such a risk. Moreover, training at that age will no longer be as easy as before.
But the final word may still not be Klitschko's, but Turki Alalshikh's. The investor knows how to persuade fighters to risky fights. How will it be this time? We should wait until February 22, when IBF champion Daniel Dubois boxes against Joseph Parker. Wladimir Klitschko is also expected at the superfight. His appearance will mean that he will indeed face the winner in a duel.