Vitali Klitschko

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Vitali Klitschko

Statistics
Real name Vitali Vladmirovich
Klitschko
Nickname Dr. Iron Fist
Weight Heavyweight
Nationality Ukraine Ukrainian
Birth date July 19, 1971
Birth place Belovodsk, Kyrgyzstan
Style Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 37
Wins 35
Wins by KO 34
Losses 2
Draws 0
No contests 0

Dr. Vitali Vladimirovich Klitschko (Ukrainian: Віталій Володимирович Кличко, Vitaliy Volodymyrovych Klychko) born July 19, 1971), known as "Dr. Iron Fist", was a professional boxer from 1996 through 2005; he was the WBC heavyweight boxing champion of the world in 2004 and 2005. He is 6' 8" (203 cm) tall, and was born in Belovodsk, Kyrgyzstan, in the former Soviet Union. His younger brother, Wladimir Klitschko, is the current IBF & IBO World Heavyweight champion. Their father was a Soviet Air Force Colonel, and their ethnicity is Ukrainian.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Originally a professional kickboxer, Vitali was also a boxer and won the Super Heavyweight Championship at the first World Military Games in Italy in 1995. In the same year he won a silver medal at the 1995 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Berlin, where he was beaten in the final by Russia's Alexei Lezin. He began his professional boxing career in 1996, winning his first 24 fights by either early knockout or technical-knockout (TKO). He and Wladimir were hot prospects, and had signed with the German athlete-promotion company Universum. After moving to Germany and Universum, their charismatic, refined (each holds a Ph. D.) and articulate (they are multilingual) personalities made for mainstream marketability; in time, they became national celebrities in their adopted home country. In his 25th pro fight, on June 26, 1999, Klitschko won the World Boxing Organization Heavyweight Championship from Herbie Hide (of the UK) via 2nd-round knockout. He defended the title twice before losing it on April 1, 2000 to American Chris Byrd; complaining of intense shoulder pain, Vitali and his corner decided not to continue the fight after the ninth round. Vitali was ahead on all 3 judges' scorecards (89-82, and 88-83 twice), but the way he ended this match brought international criticism, plus a reputation as a quitter. Some gave him the nickname "Quitschko" and others called him "Shitaly". He had surgery to repair the rotator cuff torn during the bout. In Byrd's next fight he was dethroned by Wladimir (knocking Byrd down in Rounds 9 and 11), avenging his elder brother.

Though saddled with this new reputation, Vitali continued to fight his way up the ladder of fringe contenders and journeymen, beating Orlin Norris, Ross Puritty, Vaughn Bean, and Larry Donald. On June 21, 2003, he fought Lennox Lewis for his WBC Heavyweight Championship in Los Angeles. For the first two rounds, Vitali was fighting very well against Lewis, winning the two rounds. In Round Three, Lewis, who weighed in at a career high 256 pounds, landed a punch that left a gruesome cut over Klitschko's left eye. The next 2 rounds were give and take. In the middle of round 6, Lewis landed a monster uppercut that had Vitali clinching and holding on to Lewis to prevent further punches, however, Lewis continued to fatigue and Vitali continued to land shots. After Round Six, all 3 judges' scorecards read 58-56 in favor of Klitschko. Before Round Seven, the ringside doctor inspected the cut and thought it severe enough to threaten eye damage if hit again. He stopped the fight, despite Klitschko's pleas to continue the fight. Because the cuts around Vitalis eye were formed by the punches from Lewis, and not an accidental headbutt, California's boxing regulations at the time stated that the winner had to be the opponent who was medically approved to continue -- in this case, Lewis. Though he had lost by TKO, Klitschko gained international respect for fighting on even terms with the consensus World Heavyweight Champion for the first 6 rounds. Afterward, it was revealed that Vitali had kept fighting despite sustaining an internal injury, as well. This redeemed him in most fans' eyes, and many no longer considered him a quitter. Lewis was 37 and retired after this bout. Many felt that Lewis retired to avoid a rematch with Vitali.

On December 6, 2003, Vitali returned to the ring against Canadian Kirk Johnson in Madison Square Garden and knocked him out in Round Two, reclaiming his place as the WBC's number-one contender. Around this time, the Klitschkos moved from Berlin to L.A. The western U.S.'s premium training facilities were now nearby, and they could boost their profiles by mixing socially with boxing insiders. In January 2004, they notified Universum that they would not re-sign when their contracts expired in April. Universum sued the brothers, arguing that their recent injuries had triggered a clause binding them beyond April. The suit was resolved in late 2004.

Klitschko earned an 8th-round TKO victory over South African Corrie Sanders on April 24, 2004, to capture the World Boxing Council Heavyweight Championship which had been vacated by Lewis, in Los Angeles. Sanders had dominantly knocked-out (2nd Round) younger brother Wladimir on March 8, 2003. This fight was also for The Ring Magazine belt. Despite the bout with Vitali being for the "legitimate" World Title, few had seen Sanders as a legitimate contender for the crown before his bout with younger brother Wladimir (who had himself been the Top Contender). Sanders had not fought in over a year and looked in poor shape when facing the elder Klitschko. Klitschko was rocked early by the powerful Sanders, but by using movement and strong punching he broke down Sanders and forced the referee to stop the bout. In a sport flooded with under-educated competitors, the former Soviet became the first professional boxing world champion with a PhD (in sports medicine and philosophy).

Vitali Klitschko's first world title defense was against British contender Danny Williams. Williams had become suddenly marketable from a surprise K.O. of the declining "Iron" Mike Tyson. Klitschko TKO'd Williams in 8 rounds on December 11, 2004 while wearing an orange cloth to show support for the Ukrainian presidential opposition movement. Klitschko easily threw many punches during the fight, knocking Williams down in the 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 8th rounds before the fight was mercifully stopped. Immediately afterwards, Klitschko dedicated his victory to democracy in his native Ukraine, and also to the Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko, whom he supported in the December 26, 2004 election revote.

The WBC designated former WBC & IBF world Heavyweight Champion Hasim Rahman as Klitschko’s next mandatory challenger; the fight was set for April 30, 2005. Klitschko injured his thigh while training for the fight, so it was rescheduled for June 18. As this date approached, Klitschko’s camp said that the thigh had not fully healed; the WBC made July 23 the new fight date. Soon after this second postponement, Vitali’s doctors reportedly discovered back injuries that they said demanded minor-yet-immediate corrective surgery. The WBC pushed the fight date back to November 12; Vitali's share of the purse following this match would reportedly be between $7.8 million and $10 million (U.S.). After this third rescheduling, Rahman, tired of the delays, fought the #2 contender over the summer for the WBC's "Interim" heavyweight title (i.e., temporary-champion status, pending the linear titleholder’s – Klitschko’s – return; then, the two must fight each other). Rahman won the ‘championship;’ Vitali would be stripped of his now-disputed title if his first fight back was not against Rahman, or if he was not ready to fight by the WBC's deadline. During the first part of the week of November 12, 2005, Klitschko had major surgery in L.A. for right knee injuries (a torn meniscus, a bone bruise, plus an undiagnosed MCL tear) that occurred while training the week before. The total recovery time from such injuries averaged around 6 months. The WBC said it would strip him of the championship if he was unable to box within 60-90 days of a soon-to-be-announced base date. However, on November 9, 2005, Vitali Klitschko announced his retirement from professional boxing. He cited regrets about his suddenly-mounting injuries, a desire to leave the sport while still on top, and political aspirations in his home country of Ukraine[1]. He still occasionally calls out Lennox Lewis, who has been retired since early 2004, for a rematch.

As of November 19, 2006 Vitali Klitschko and trainer Fritz Sdunek have announced Vitali's planned return to the ring. While it still remains to be seen if he will re-injure himself training, for the moment it seems that Vitali Klitschko's return to boxing is official.

[edit] Kyiv Mayoral Candidate

Klitschko began campaigning for mayor of Kyiv shortly after his retirement. Klitschko lost the election to Leonid Chernovetskyi but placed second with 26% of the vote, ahead of the incumbent Oleksandr Omelchenko. Klitschko campaigned on an anti-corruption platform associated with Pora party. Analysts stated his relatively late entry into the campaign might have cost him votes.

[edit] Chess

Both Vitali and his brother are avid chess players, along with former champ Lennox Lewis. Vitali is a friend of former chess champ Garry Kasparov and the two have played. His quote on chess: "Chess is similar to boxing. You need to develop a strategy, and you need to think two or three steps ahead about what your opponent is doing. You have to be smart. But what's the difference between chess and boxing? In chess, nobody is an expert, but everybody plays. In boxing everybody is an expert, but nobody fights."

[edit] Record

[edit] Career

  • EBU (European) heavyweight champion
  • WBO intercontinental heavyweight champion {secondary title}
  • WBA international heavyweight champion {secondary title}
  • WBO heavyweight champion
  • WBC world heavyweight champion
  • IBA World champion
  • (The) Ring Magazine's Heavyweight Champion of the World, 2004-2005 (an honorary distinction in its periodic boxer rankings)

Check out http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=007033 for detailed info about his career record.

[edit] Trivia

  • Klitschko used the song "Empire Of The Champ" (sung by German pop singer Alexis) as his entrance song music in the 90s
  • The Rammstein song "Sonne" was written for him.
  • He and his wife Natalia married on April 1996. He has three children: Egor-Daniel (*2000), Elizabeth-Victoria (*2002) and Maximilian (*2005) (who is named after the famous German boxer Max Schmeling).
  • Klitschko is one of few heavyweight champions never to have been knocked down professionally.

[edit] Championships Won

  • May 2, 1998 - Vacant WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship. Defeated Dick Ryan by 5th round TKO. Successfully defended title twice before relinquishing title.
  • October 24, 1998 - Vacant European Boxing Union Heavyweight Championship. Defeated Mario Schiesser by 2nd round TKO. Successfully defended title once before relinquishing title.
  • June 26, 1999 - WBO World Heavyweight Championship. Defeated Herbie Hide by 2nd round knockout. Successfully defended title twice before losing title on April 1, 2000 to Chris Byrd.
  • November 25, 2000 - Vacant European Boxing Union Heavyweight Championship. Defeated Timo Hoffmann by 12 round decision. Did not successfully defend title.
  • January 27, 2001 - Vacant World Boxing Association International Heavyweight Championship. Defeated Orlin Norris by 1st round knockout. Successfully defended title three times before relinquishing title to face Lennox Lewis on June 21, 2003 for the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Organization World Heavyweight Championships.
  • April 24, 2004 - Vacant WBC World Championship. Defeated Corrie Sanders via 8th round TKO.
  • December 11, 2004 - First title defence. Defeated Danny Williams in the 8th round by TKO.

[edit] External links

Preceded by:
Herbie Hide		 WBO World Heavyweight Championship

10th Champion
26 June 1999 – 4 January 2000

 Succeeded by:
Chris Byrd
Preceded by:
Lennox Lewis		 WBC World Heavyweight Championship

24th Champion
24 April 2004 – 9 November 2005

 Succeeded by:
Hasim Rahman
Previous champion:
Zeljko Mavrovic		 EBU Heavyweight 64th champion
October 24,1998 - 1999		 Next champion:
Wladimir Klitschko
Previous champion:
Wladimir Klitschko		 EBU Heavyweight 66th champion
November 25,2000 - 2001		 Next champion:
Luan Krasniqi
Previous champion:
Pele Reid		 WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight 4th champion
May 2,1998 - 1998		 Next champion:
Danny Williams
Previous champion:
Wladimir Klitschko		 WBA International Heavyweight 4th champion
January 27,2001 - 2002		 Next champon:
Wladimir Klitschko

[edit] See also

[edit] References

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