Wladimir Klitschko

Wladimir Klitschko
Born	Володимир Володимирович Кличко (1976-03-25) 25 March 1976 Semipalatinsk, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
Nationality	Ukraine
Other names	Dr. Steelhammer
Statistics
Weight(s)	Heavyweight
Height	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Reach	2.06 m (81 in)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	58
Wins	55
Wins by KO	49
Losses	3

Olympic medal record
Representing Ukraine
Men's boxing
	1996 Atlanta	Super heavyweight
European Amateur Championships
	1996 Vejle	Super heavyweight

Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Klychko (Template:Lang-uk, [ʋɔlɔˈdɪmɪr klɪtʃˈkɔ]; English: /ˈvlædɨmɪər ˈklɪtʃkoʊ/, Template:Lang-de; born 25 March 1976) is a Ukrainian heavyweight boxer. Wladimir is the unified IBF, IBO, WBO and Ring Magazine Champion. He is currently rated as the number three pound for pound boxer in the world by Boxrec. His older brother Vitali Klitschko is the current WBC champion. Ring Magazine currently rates Klitschko as the number eight pound-for-pound boxer in the world. As of now, Wladimir is historically the longest reigning Heavyweight Champion for the IBF, WBO & IBO Heavyweight Titles of both measurements of defenses and time.

Early life

Klitschko was born in Semipalatinsk, Kazakh SSR (now Kazakhstan). In 1985 the family moved to Ukraine. Though a major celebrity in his former adopted home of Germany, he moved with his older brother Vitali to Beverly Hills in 2004. Their father, Volodymyr Rodionovych, was a Soviet Air Force Colonel. Their mother is Nadezhda Ulyanovna.

In the summer of 1996, Klitschko finished Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky Pedagogical Institute (Ukraine) and was accepted in the postgraduate study program of Kiev University. On 18 January 2001 in a conference hall of Kiev University of physical science and sports, Klitschko presented his doctoral dissertation and was awarded a Ph.D. in Sports Science. Klitschko speaks four languages: Ukrainian, Russian, German and English. At the beginning of his professional career, he began using the German variant of his name "Wladimir". The Ukrainian version of his name is Volodymyr (Володимир), which in Russian is Vladimir (Владимир).

Amateur career

In 1993, Klitschko won the Junior European Championships as a heavyweight. In 1994, he received 2nd place at the Junior World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. In 1995, he won the gold medal at the Military Championships in Ariccia, Italy, defeating Luan Krasniqi, who he had lost to in the third round of the World Championships in Berlin, Germany earlier that year. In 1996, he captured 2nd place as a Super Heavyweight at the European Championships in Vejle, Denmark. He had an amateur record of 134-6.

Known as "The Steel Hammer," Klitschko first achieved world attention at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He defeated Paea Wolfgramm to win the Super-Heavyweight gold medal. He is now announced as "Dr. Steel Hammer," a name more in the vein of his brother, Vitali, who goes by "Dr. Ironfist."

Professional career

Klitschko turned professional with Universum Box-Promotion in Hamburg under the tutelage of Fritz Sdunek.

He suffered his first setback after 24 bouts without a loss to journeyman Ross Puritty, who entered the bout with a record of 24-13-1. . Klitschko was defeated by Ross Puritty by technical knockout in round 11.

First world title

On 14 October 2000, in Cologne's Kölnarena (Germany), Klitschko won the WBO Heavyweight Championship from American Chris Byrd. Byrd had previously upset his elder brother Vitali (who pulled out injured during their bout). After five successful defenses of the WBO belt, Klitschko suffered an upset loss to Corrie Sanders. Sanders battered Klitschko for two rounds knocking him out on 8 March 2003, in Hannover, Germany.

Third loss

After winning two minor bouts in Germany and enlisting the services of legendary boxing trainer Emmanuel Steward, Klitschko again fought for the vacated WBO title on 10 April 2004, in Las Vegas, against Lamon Brewster. Klitschko sent Brewster to the canvas in the fourth round; however, things turned around in the fifth when Brewster began landing punches. Near the end of the round, Klitschko took a standing eight count. At the end of the round he was so exhausted that referee accidentally tripped him. As he walked back toward his corner the referee took a good look at him. Klitschko was open mouthed, utterly exhausted and somewhat disoriented. The referee waved the contest off awarding Brewster the win by technical knockout in round 5. The loss to Brewster was another big upset and the third knockout loss of Klitschko's career.

Return to form

Following his loss to Brewster, Klitschko began his journey back towards the top of the heavyweight division. First, he defeated DaVarryl Williamson by technical decision. He then knocked out undefeated Eliseo Castillo. Klitschko then signed to fight undefeated power puncher Samuel Peter in an IBF eliminator. The much anticipated bout proved to be hugely entertaining. It went some way towards redeeming Klitschko in the heavyweight division. Though Peter scored three knockdowns (two in round 5, one in round 10) Klitschko withstood the Nigerian's power and went on to dominate for long periods. He even rocked Peter in the final round. The win against Peter showed that Klitschko was capable of defeating power punchers.

IBF world champion

Wladimir Klitschko boxing Hasim Rahman, 2008

On 22 April 2006, in Mannheim, Germany, Klitschko again defeated Chris Byrd, this time by technical knockout, in a contest for the IBF Heavyweight Championship. Referee Wayne Kelly stopped the fight in the seventh round after a knockdown—Byrd beat the count, but his face was battered and bloody, and the fight was waved off. Klitschko then defeated mandatory challenger Ray Austin on 10 March 2007, at the SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany by a second-round knockout with four consecutive left hooks to Austin's head. Klitschko did not use his right hand once during the fight, doing all his work with his left jab and left hook. Klitschko then avenged one of his previous losses as he defeated Lamon Brewster on 7 July 2007, in Cologne, Germany. Brewster's corner asked the referee to stop the fight at the end of the sixth round. It was later revealed that Klitschko fought most of the fight with a broken middle finger on his left hand.

Unifying the belts

Klitschko defeated WBO Heavyweight Champion Sultan Ibragimov at Madison Square Garden in New York City on 23 February 2008 to unify the IBF and WBO heavyweight titles. The Klitschko-Ibragimov fight was the first heavyweight unification since Holyfield-Lewis in 1999. The unification clash with Ibragimov proved to be a huge disappointment for fans. Klitschko was very dominant from the first bell. He backed Ibragimov into a corner and proceeded to push down Ibragimov's glove with his left hand so he could not throw a punch. Though Klitschko won every single round the crowd in New York began booing after the second round. The boos and jeers increased as the fight progressed in the same fashion. Ibragimov's corner was almost silent from the sixth round onwards unable to give their man any meaningful advice.

On 12 July 2008, at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg, Klitschko defeated Tony Thompson by eleventh round knockout.

Klitschko was scheduled to defend his titles against Alexander Povetkin later in 2008, but on 25 October, Povetkin withdrew from the fight due to an ankle injury. Instead, Klitschko faced Hasim Rahman on 13 December 2008 and won by TKO. This was the third time Klitschko fought at the SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany. He dominated the fight, winning every round while making good use of his left jab. From the first bell the difference in physical strength was profound. Rahman seemed unable to withstand Klitschko's punch power. The referee finally called a stop to the one-sided contest in the 7th round after Rahman failed to respond to a series of good shots.

The brothers have been quoted saying that it is only a matter of time until they unify the WBA title belt which is currently held by David Haye. If they achieve this feat, the Klitschko brothers will become the first brothers in heavyweight boxing history to simultaneously hold all of the belts.

Klitschko vs. Chagaev

On 20 June 2009, Klitschko retained the IBF, WBO, IBO world heavyweight titles and also won the vacant Ring Magazine heavyweight title by defeating Ruslan Chagaev when Chagaev retired after an onslaught of punches towards the end of the ninth round. As Chagaev was WBA champion in recess, the title was not on the line. Klitschko's win over Chagaev was seen as one of his most impressive performances in the ring. He controlled the tempo of the fight from the very beginning and hit Chagaev at will with the jab. He hit Chagaev with several hard right crosses and never allowed him to build momentum. Towards the end of the second round Klitschko caught Chagaev off balance and sent him to the canvas. Chagaev recovered but was dominated thereafter. This win had added significance because even though the WBA title was not on the line, many saw Chagaev as the rightful champion.

Klitschko vs. Chambers

On 9 December 2009, Klitschko's management group, K2 Promotions confirmed that a bout with Eddie Chambers has been agreed to take place in Germany on March 20, 2010. This mandatory title defense, originally scheduled for December 2009 had to be delayed due to a hand injury that Klitschko sustained in training that required surgery.

Klitschko defeated Chambers by knockout five seconds before the end of the final round. He was criticized between rounds by his trainer Emanuel Steward for not fighting aggressively enough despite having won all prior rounds and Chambers only fighting back weakly. Klitschko began punching more often during the final round than he had done before which eventually led to his left hook hitting Chambers to the forehead. The punch made Chambers fall forwards and lose consciousness for a short amount of time. The referee stepped in and called an end to the contest instantly.

Heavyweight reign

Since 2005, Klitschko has been the dominant force in the heavyweight division, defeating a majority of the top heavyweights in the rankings. When Klitschko won the IBF title against Chris Byrd there were four separate heavyweight champions. Since then he has unified the IBF and WBO belts and defeated the WBA champion in recess. Following his win over Ruslan Chagaev, Klitschko was awarded the vacant Ring Magazine Heavyweight Title. He broke Tommy Burns long held record of eight consecutive title defences by knockout. He works behind a strong left jab and possesses one of the strongest right crosses in boxing. Klitschko is a safety first fighter; however, he tends to methodically break down his opponents over a series of rounds. Emmanuel Steward, Klitschko's trainer, has also pointed out that Klitschko's ability to hurt opponents late on in fights (Tony Thompson, Samuel Peter, etc.) is a sign of his power. He has gone on to say that he feels Klitschko is one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight history.

Klitschko vs. Peter II

Klitschko in Hollenstedt, Lower Saxony, Germany, on May 21, 2010.

Following the match with Chambers, a unification fight between Klitschko and David Haye, who currently holds the WBA title, appeared to be in the offing. Klitschko officially called out the Briton on youtube in April, 2010 He stated “I want to send this message to boxing fans and directly to David Haye. David, you've bitched out on fighting both Klitschko brothers twice already and now's the time to make it happen. On behalf of the boxing fans around the world, I am officially calling you out to fight me. You can't run away from me forever and you need to follow through with this fight if you want to be respected. I'm ready. What're you waiting for?". Haye's trainer Adam Booth has indicated that Haye would be willing to accept the challenge. Both sides began negotiations for a potential fight and the bout was targeted for September. As the negotiations continued to move forward, the unification fight between Klitschko and Haye was expected to take place in Germany rather than England. The IBF set a deadline to end negotiations on May 17. A few days before the May 17 deadline to make the unification bout, Haye said he was interested in fighting the older Klitschko, Vitali, rather than Vladimir.

The fight didn't materialize and Klitschko had to take on mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin. On May 17, 2010, the 30 day period of negotiation began for Klitschko to defend his championship against Povetkin. Within this period, discussions to make a fight with Haye were still ongoing. At first, the bout between Klitschko and Povetkin was tentatively scheduled to take place in Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany, on September 11, 2010. In July 2010 it was confirmed that the bout would be taking place in Frankfurt. However, Povetkin, under trainer Teddy Atlas, backed out of the $2 million purse fight. Samuel Peter replaced Povetkin for the scheduled fight. Peter fought Klitschko on September 11, 2010, for the Ukrainian's IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles. Klitschko won again, by knocking out Peter in the 10th round. Peter weighed in at 241 pounds, two pounds lighter than their first fight. Wladimir Klitschko came in at a career heavy of 247 pounds. Both fighters had promised knockouts in the pre fight build up. Peter started the fight very aggressively and caught Klitschko with a good left hook in the opening minute. Klitschko ended the round well. Peter was caught with three hard right hands in the second round, one of which seemed to stun him. Peter tried to duck under the Klitschko jab, but was being tied up on the inside. After four rounds the fight became one sided in Klitschko's favour. Peter's right eye was closing and he was taking heavy punishment. After the ninth round Peter's trainer Abel Sanchez said he would give him one more round. Emmanuel Steward also implored Klitschko to be more aggressive. Peter swung wildly in the tenth and Klitschko put him down with a concussive combination. Referee Robert Byrd did not start a count and waved the fight off, awarding Klitschko the win by knockout.

Klitschko was set to fight Dereck Chisora on December 11, the fight was later called off on December 8th due to Wladimir injuring a muscle in his abdominal.

Other interests

Klitschko appeared with Lennox Lewis in the motion picture Ocean's Eleven. He is an avid chess player, kite-surfer, golfer, and humanitarian. Both Klitschko brothers have been involved in charitable activities dedicated to supporting the needs of children around the world. Both brothers have formed their own charities that contribute to children in need in Africa and South America. They won humanitarian awards for their "Fight For Peace" and "Sport for Good" projects in 2002 and 2007. In 2002, the Klitschko brothers announced that they had agreed to work specifically for UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), which supports more than 180 projects in 87 countries. Klitschko is also a passionate golfer and was seen playing in the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland. The tournament was played over three courses in 2008 including St Andrews, Carnoustie, and Kingsbarns in Fife and Angus. Klitschko was named curator of the Ukrainian pavilion at the 2009 Venice Biennale. Klitschko starred in the music video for Chris Cornell's song "Part of Me" in 2008, alongside rising dancer Carlos Kerr Jr. and Method Man.

On Christmas day 2010, both Klitschko brothers issued a joint statement that they are both ready to fight Haye in 2011.

Personal life

In 2009 Klitschko began dating American actress Hayden Panettiere. They were photographed attending the premiere of The Perfect Game. Panettiere has also been seen ringside at Klitschko´s fights, most recently at Klitschko´s 10th round KO victory over Samuel Peter.

External links

• "The Official Site of Klitschko Brothers" (in German/English/Ukrainian/Russian).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• Vladimir Klitschko Fight-by-Fight Career Record
• Boxing record for Wladimir Klitschko from BoxRec (registration required)
• Biofile Q&A interview with Klitschko http://www.boxinginsider.com/biofiles/vladimir-klitschko/