TODAY (August 4) Wladimir Klitschko announced that he would retire from boxing. Remembered most recently for his extraordinary battle with Anthony Joshua for the IBF and WBA world heavyweight titles at Wembley Stadium when he looked to regain his status as the top dog in the banner division, that was the end of a glittering career.
First entering the world scene over 16 years ago, the Ukrainian has methodically, and sometimes violently, dispatched the countless pretenders to his throne. Tyson Fury emphatically ended his reign in 2015.
Here, we list ten of ‘Dr Steelhammer”s best wins. Click below to take a look.
10. W RTD 9 Ruslan Chagaev [2009]
THE unbeaten Chagaev may not have been considered the best opponent Klitschko would have faced, but he was certainly one of the top contenders available and a sellout crowd of 61,000 packed into the Veltins Arena to watch it – Germany’s highest boxing attendance since Max Schmeling v Adolf Heuser in 1939.
Klitschko dropped Chagaev in the second and won virtually every round on every scorecard before the fight was eventually stopped.
9. W UD 12 Bryant Jennings [2015]
THIS fight is included on this list not for Klitschko’s performance but for its historical significance. Boxing in America for the first time in seven years, at Madison Square Garden in New York, Klitschko also matched Joe Louis’ 27 heavyweight championship fights when he took on Jennings.
The win, though laboured and unconvincing, also moved Klitschko one closer to Louis’ consecutive title defence record of 25 fights [Wladimir is now at 18].
The champion used his superior size to keep the unbeaten Jennings at bay, though the American had much more success than many thought he would – leading some to believe Klitschko may be on the slide.
8. W TD 5 DaVarryl Williamson [2004]
NO longer a world champion and having been stopped in two of his last four fights, Klitschko’s future looked uncertain at this stage, but he elected to return from his fifth round stoppage loss to Lamon Brewster against the competent Williamson.
Although it was not a stellar performance, Klitschko rose from a knockdown to eke out a win – which came on the cards after the fight was stopped due to a cut he suffered from an accidental clash of heads.
7. W RTD 6 Lamon Brewster [2007]
KLITSCHKO had a shot at redemption when the IBF ordered a mandatory defence against Brewster, who had stopped the Ukrainian three years earlier.
The American was actually on medical suspension in his home country after undergoing surgery on a detached retina in his eye and had not fought in 15 months by the time he met Klitschko again.
Much like their first meeting, Klitschko dominated most of the fight, despite breaking a finger on his left hand in the first round. Though he seemed to be absorbing the punishment, a thudding left-right wobbled Brewster in the sixth and before the seventh could start his trainer, Buddy McGirt, pulled his fighter out.
Klitschko had finally exorcised his demons.
6. W UD 12 Chris Byrd [2000]
IN his previous fight, Byrd had won the WBO world heavyweight title from Wladimir’s older brother, Vitali, who retired on his stool after nine rounds due to a shoulder injury.
His first defence of the title was against Wladimir, who was making his first attempt at world honours. The fight was typically one-sided and particularly brutal at times, with Klitschko twice dropping the American and almost stopping him.
The victory officially placed Wladimir on the world stage.
5. W UD 12 Sultan Ibragimov [2008]
IN the first heavyweight unification fight since Evander Holyfield-Lennox Lewis in 1999, Klitschko manhandled Russia’s Ibragimov to add the WBO belt to his own IBF strap at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Although there was no real excitement in the fight, Klitschko ran out a clear winner and confirmed himself as the division’s true leader.
4. W KO 5 Kubrat Pulev [2014]
ALTHOUGH he held several world titles at the time, Klitschko was only defending his IBF belt due to mandatory challenger Pulev not paying the sanctioning fees for the other baubles.
The unbeaten Bulgarian had earned his shot the hard way and came with a formidable reputation, but proved no match for the champion. He was dropped four times, each knockdown coming from a left hook, and the final one left him flat on his back and unable to beat the count.
3. W UD 12 Samuel Peter [2005]
STOPPAGE losses to Corrie Sanders [2003] and Lamon Brewster [2004] had stunted Klitschko’s rise and convinced most observers his vulnerable chin would prevent him from becoming a force. He went some way to silencing those criticisms when he took on Nigerian puncher Peter.
Despite being dropped three times, Wladimir proved he had the stamina to perform at the top level by producing a hard-earned decision victory. The win also made Klitschko mandatory challenger for Chris Byrd’s IBF world title, which he would go on to claim in his next fight.
2. W UD 12 Alexander Povetkin [2013]
A PROPOSED bout between these two had twice failed to materialise for a number of reasons, but promoter Vladimir Hryunov ensured it would happen after winning the rights to stage it with a staggering purse bid of $23,333,330.
The anticipation was huge given Povetkin’s unbeaten record and recent wins over Hasim Rahman and Marco Huck. It also pitted two Olympic gold medallists against each other [Klitschko won gold in 1996 and Povetkin in 2004].
The fight itself was particularly ugly with the Russian trying to storm in and land an overhand right while Klitschko sapped Povetkin’s energy by holding and pushing.
In the second, a sharp left hook dropped Povetkin for the first time in his professional career and he was put down three more times in the seventh though survived the round, and the remainder of the fight. What looked like a close fight on paper was, in reality, another easy win for Klitschko, further affirming his dominance in the sport’s banner division.
1. W UD 12 David Haye [2011]
ONE of the biggest heavyweight fights in years ended up as a one-sided drubbing as Klitschko dominated Haye over 12 rounds in front of a raucous crowd at the Imtech Arena in Hamburg, Germany.
The WBA champion at the time, Haye had long pursued a fight with IBF and WBO ruler Klitschko, though the bout had fallen through in the past after the Brit pulled out with an injury. After several promotional videos, in one of which Klitschko openly called Haye out and branded him a “b****”, a t-shirt depicting Haye decapitating Klitschko and his older brother Vitali, and even an iPhone app, the fight finally came to fruition.
Though he was an underdog, Haye was considered the biggest threat to Klitschko’s reign given his speed and power. Hundreds of millions tuned in around the world to watch it, including over 40% of Ukraine’s entire population.
After some cagey opening stages, the fight quickly fell into a groove of Haye falling short with his assaults while Klitschko pinned him down with his ramrod jab and occasionally unsheathing his clubbing right hand. As the rounds progressed, Wladimir grew in confidence and began throwing right hand leads, even forcing Haye to take a count in the 11th, though it looked more like a slip than a legitimate knockdown.
The Ukrainian giant was awarded a wide decision victory but his celebrations were marred by Haye’s absurd broken toe excuse.
