Will Wladimir Klitschko return to the ring and who can he fight
Kyiv • UNN
The main investor in boxing, Turki Al Al Sheikh, has offered Wladimir Klitschko to return to the ring at the age of 48. At stake is the record of the oldest world champion and a multimillion-dollar fee.
The media is increasingly reporting that legendary boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko will return to the ring. The Ukrainian is being invited to box by the main investor in the sport, Arabian Turki Al Al-Sheikh. So far, Wladimir has mostly denied his comeback, but he leaves the intrigue alive, emphasizing that anything can happen. The fact is that tens of millions of dollars and breaking a famous record are at stake.
Wladimir Klitschko is undoubtedly one of the best heavyweights in boxing history. He was the world champion for almost 10 years. Only Floyd Patterson and Joe Louis managed to stay on top for so long. Between 2006 and 2015, Klitschko defended his titles 18 times, and 23 times in his entire career. In this indicator, he is second only to the aforementioned Joe Louis. Klitschko retired from boxing after suffering two defeats in a row. However, he may return in 2025, as he has previously said that he dreams of breaking George Foreman's record and becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in the world. With this in mind, the editorial board of UNN decided to recall Wladimir Klitschko's sports career and collect all the pros and cons about the Ukrainian's possible comeback.
Klitschko's background. Five championships in two
The year 1996 was a landmark in Wladimir Klitschko's career. Despite experts' expectations, he won gold at the Atlanta Olympics. The little-known Klitschko immediately became a star in Ukraine. People began to predict a great future for him. Without hesitation, Wladimir and his brother Vitali, who did not compete in the Olympics because of a doping scandal, turned to professional boxing. In doing so, the brothers marked the beginning of a new era of Ukrainian fighters in the big fist sport.
Volodymyr and Vitaliy moved to Germany. They started training at the Hamburg boxing club "Universal Box-Promotion". Together with their matchmakers, the brothers chose colorful sports names at the beginning of their performances: Volodymyr's was "Doctor Steelhammer" and Vitaliy's was "Doctor Ironfist" (translated as "Doctor Steel Hammer" and "Doctor Iron Fist"). The word "doctor" in these phrases is not accidental. The point is that the brothers became candidates in the scientific world by defending their dissertations in pedagogy. And the status of "hammer" and "fist" was confirmed in the ring.
Vitali won the world title three times in his career. In June 1999, he knocked out British boxer Herbie Hyde and took the WBO belt. His next championship came in April 2004, when he beat Corrie Sanders. This time, Vitali was wearing the WBC belt around his waist. After a four-year layoff, the elder Klitschko fought for the same title again in 2008, forcing Nigerian Samuel Peter to capitulate on a chair.
The younger of the brothers, Volodymyr, won one less championship, but in general achieved more in the sports arena, was the champion for almost 10 years, becoming a dominant figure in the division. He won his first WBO title in October 2000. He outboxed Chris Byrd on points. He went on to defend the belt five times, dealing with the difficult Derrick Jefferson, Francois Botha, another Olympic champion Ray Mercer and the then star Jamil McClain.
The younger Klitschko turned into a world star with his striking victories. Everyone was waiting for his eventual fight against the legendary British boxer Lennox Lewis. But before he could meet the great champion, Wladimir had to beat South African Corrie Sanders. Sanders was a clear outsider at the time. He was given a maximum of six rounds, but what happened in the ring shocked everyone: Sanders brutally knocked Wladimir out 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 pattern of Wladimir's career decline.
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A year later, Klitschko fought for the championship again. Wladimir could have won the same WBO belt, but it was not to be. Klitschko lost by knockout for the second time in a row. In the 5th round, he was knocked out by American Lamon Brewster. After this failure, analysts and boxing fans wrote Wladimir off. They said, "he was overrated, he is nothing, so he can hang his boxing gloves on a nail." Vitalii advised his brother to do the same. He admitted this later in an interview. Despite the advice and devastating criticism, the younger Klitschko did not give up and returned once again to get to the top.
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In 2005, he defeated Cuban Eliseo Castillo and young top prospect Samuel Peter. These triumphs brought Wladimir back to the 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, the Ukrainian knocked out the American in 7, becoming a two-time world champion. It was this fight that started Wladimir's long dominance in the super heavyweight division. It ended in November 2015. During this time, the "Steel Hammer" added the WBA and WBO titles to his IBF belt. He made a total of 23 belt defenses. In order not to dive into all the details of the Ukrainian's next fights, we decided to highlight the top 5 of them :
- 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 have already mentioned, Wladimir sensationally lost to the young British fighter Tyson Fury. Tyson neutralized the Ukrainian's main weapon, the left jab, so he won the fight justly.
In April 2017, Klitschko had his last fight so far. He lost to Anthony Joshua by knockout in the 11th round at the London Stadium. Although everything initially went differently for the champion. During the fight, it was Klitschko who could have knocked out the Briton. He sent him to the canvas in the 6th round, but failed to finish him off. In the second half of the fight, the Ukrainian's strength left him and he capitulated. After this defeat, Wladimir Klitschko retired.
Volodymyr Klitschko's possible comeback
Over the course of more than six years, rumors have been circulating in the press several times: Klitschko might return. However, the Steel Hammer has consistently denied them. There are many reasons for the information about Wladimir's return: perhaps the Ukrainian's fans were eager to see their champion in the ring, so they made such "stuffing", or perhaps it was the work of Klitschko himself to regain media attention. However, the former champion never made a comeback and left less chance for a legendary comeback.
But everything changed in December 2024. Rumors started circulating in the press that Steel Hammer would box again. Especially after the WBC congress, it became clear that this could happen. The main investor in boxing, Arabian Turki Al Al-Sheikh, wanted Vlad to return. After receiving the WBC's "Man of the Year" award, Turki said the following:
I want to see you (Wladimir) in the ring again. I heard that you are looking for a chance to fight for the championship belt again. Let's wait for the results of Usyk vs Fury 2 and Dubois vs Parker. And I'm going to ask the WBC, IBF, WBA and WBO to give you the opportunity to realize your dream. To make your dream come true in sports
By the word "dream," al-Sheikh meant breaking the record of George Foreman, who at the age of 45 became the oldest heavyweight champion in the world. As a reminder, Wladimir is now 48.
Vladimir 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.
Representatives of the Staliy Molot team also supported the comeback. Coaches, managers, and promoters all said the same thing: "We don't know anything for sure and we're not against such a return." And finally, a few days ago, Volodymyr made his statement about another return to the ring. His answer was short: "I'm not interested". But did he put an end to it? Most certainly not.
Why Wladimir Klitschko will return to the ring
Money. As impractical as it may seem, money can be the main motivation for a Ukrainian. Volodymyr has earned a lot during his career. Fights brought him between 5 and 15 million dollars at most. But such sums are nothing compared to what Turki Al Al-Sheikh can offer. If an investor paid 50, 80, 100 million to Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Oleksandr Usyk, then Wladimir should expect to earn at least as much. For example, 70 million for one fight is exactly the same amount as the younger Klitschko earned in ten or more fights. At the age of 48, no one would refuse to add a huge fortune to their bank.
To regain the title of the best boxer in the history of Ukraine. Wladimir used to be the best, until another Ukrainian, Oleksandr Usyk, won the absolute heavyweight championship. Although Klitschko has never spoken about competing with Oleksandr, the thought of a legacy competition between the two Ukrainians may come to mind for anyone who knows a little bit about boxing , as the greatness of one champion is judged in comparison to the other. However, a fight between Klitschko and Usyk in wartime is unlikely to be necessary, and would not be understood in the homeland. And if Klitschko were to take on the winner of the Dubois-Packer match and win, he would once again claim to regain the title of the greatest of Ukrainian fighters. And then let the analysts and fans of the fist sport figure out who is the first in this - Usyk or Klitschko.
Record of the oldest world heavyweight champion. This is an honorable and majestic title for anyone who has ever put on boxing gloves. Bernard Hopkins is still considered the oldest champion, as he took the belt at the age of 49 . But Hopkins did it in the light heavyweight division (up to 79.4 kg). In the super-heavyweight division, as we have already mentioned, George Foreman is the oldest. In 1994, at the age of 45, he knocked out Michael Moorer and held the title of champion until June 1995, i.e. until the age of 46. Wladimir is now two years older. If he wins, he will break this record. Therefore, the younger Klitschko is certainly motivated, and it can still push him to another fight.
Why Volodymyr won't box
Age. Age itself is the biggest rival for every champion. All famous boxers could not stop in time, so they lost every time. Moreover, they capitulated against the opponents they could have torn apart a few years ago. Some examples: Roy Jones Jr, Evander Holyfield, David Haye, Erik Morales, and especially Mike Tyson. Tyson had his last fight against blogger Jake Paul. The once formidable "Iron Mike" at the age of 58 was unable to do anything. Jake Paul was openly exposed to Tyson and defeated him on points. This fight completely answered the question: why you can't go to the ring at an advanced age.
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Wladimir is not much younger than Tyson. Moreover, Klitschko will be facing an elite fighter, not an Internet champion. Therefore, will Wladimir be able to overcome Dubois or Parker now, if he was in "poor condition" against Anthony Joshua 8 years ago? In April 2017, the Ukrainian no longer had the same speed, timing and reaction. Hence the question is: why should they appear when the boxer is almost half a century old?
Following the example of the same Foreman, George did not win his "oldest championship" convincingly. He knocked out Moorer with one punch, hopelessly losing the fight. The American threw his punch, as they say, with the hope that it would "maybe work," and it did hit his opponent's chin. This can happen to Volodymyr as well. After all, he still has a punch left in him, because it is the last thing a boxer loses. However, it is pointless to rely on a right straight or a hook.
Reputation. If Volodymyr loses, he will be accused of being a boxer who came out for money, which can ruin his reputation. The fighter's sporting legacy will suffer. Klitschko will not take such a risk. Throughout his sporting life, Wladimir has repeatedly said that status and reputation are the most important things to him. The former champion has said that he wants to use his authority to inspire young people to play sports and lead a healthy lifestyle.
Health. Defeat will definitely affect health. However, so will a victory. Volodymyr won't be able to keep up with the punching at this age. There is a high probability of getting a stroke, heart attack or brain tumor. For example, Muhammad Ali, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease . With this in mind, Volodymyr will think a hundred times before taking any risks. Moreover, training at this age will no longer be as easy as it used to be.
But the last word may not be for Klitschko, but for Turki Al Al-Sheikh. The investor knows how to persuade fighters to take risky fights. How will it be this time? We have to wait until February 22 when IBF champion Daniel Dubois will box against Joseph Parker. We should also expect Wladimir Klitschko on the superfight. His appearance will mean that he will fight the winner.
