| Wladimir Klitschko | |
|---|---|
5 February 2008 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Klychko |
| Nickname(s) | Dr. Steelhammer |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) [1] |
| Reach | 206 cm (81 in) |
| Nationality | Ukrainian |
| Born | 25 March 1976 Semipalatinsk, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 59 |
| Wins | 56 |
| Wins by KO | 49 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Ukraine | ||
| Men’s Boxing | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Gold | 1996 Atlanta | Super heavyweight |
| European Amateur Championships | ||
| Silver | 1996 Vejle | Super heavyweight |
Wladimir Klitschko[2] (born 25 March 1976) is a Ukrainian heavyweight boxer. Klitschko is the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO & Ring Magazine Heavyweight Champion. His older brother Vitali Klitschko is the current WBC Heavyweight Champion. Klitschko is the longest reigning Heavyweight Champion in history for the IBF, WBO & IBO heavyweight titles, both in measurements of defenses and time & the 7th longest reigning heavyweight champion of all time. As of 2011, Boxrec rates Klitschko as the number 2 pound-for-pound in the world. Ring Magazine currently rates Klitschko as the number six pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
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, IBO, WBO & WBA belts and defeated the WBA champion in recess. Following his win over Ruslan Chagaev, Klitschko was awarded the vacant Ring Magazine Heavyweight Title. 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.
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Klitschko was born in Semipalatinsk (now Semey, Kazakhstan).[3][4][5] Though a celebrity in his former adopted home of Germany, he moved with his older brother Vitali to Beverly Hills, California, USA, in 2004. Their father, Vladimir Rodionovich Klitschko (1947–2011), was a Soviet Air Force major general and a military attaché of Ukraine in Germany. He was also one of the commanders in charge of cleaning up the effects of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and was afterward diagnosed with cancer. Their mother is Nadezhda Ulyanovna.[6]
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 PhD in Sports Science. Klitschko speaks five languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, German and English. At the beginning of his professional career, he began using the German transliteration of his name, Wladimir.
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."
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.
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.
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's punches began backing him up. Not defending himself and leaning into ropes for support, Klitschko took a standing eight count. On unsteady legs, Klitschko went to his knees after the bell and the referee stopped the fight for his safety.
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.
On 22 April 2006, in Mannheim, Germany, Klitschko again defeated Chris Byrd, this time by technical knockout, in a contest for the IBF & IBO 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.
Klitschko defeated WBO Heavyweight Champion Sultan Ibragimov at Madison Square Garden in New York City on 23 February 2008 to unify the IBF, IBO & 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,[7] 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.
Klitschko was scheduled to face David Haye who pulled out within weeks of the fight complaining of a back injury. Salvaging the 20 June 2009 date and venue, Klitschko instead retained the IBF, WBO, IBO heavyweight titles and also won the vacant Ring Magazine heavyweight title by defeating replacement opponent and Ring #3 ranked 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 Klitschko as the rightful champion.
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 20 March 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.[8] 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 lost consciousness for an extended period of time. The referee stepped in and called an end to the contest instantly.
Following the match with Chambers, a unification fight between Klitschko and David Haye, who as of May 2009 held the WBA title, appeared to be in the offing. Klitschko called out the Briton on YouTube in April 2010, stating, "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?".[9][10] Haye's trainer Adam Booth has indicated that Haye would be willing to accept the challenge.[11] Both sides began negotiations for a potential fight and the bout was targeted for September.[12] As the negotiations continued to move forward,[13] the unification fight between Klitschko and Haye was expected to take place in Germany rather than England.[14][15] The IBF set a deadline to end negotiations on 17 May. A few days before the 17 May deadline to make the unification bout, Haye said he was interested in fighting the older Klitschko, Vitali, rather than Vladimir.[16]
The fight did not materialise and Klitschko took on mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin. On 17 May 2010, the 30-day period of negotiation began for Klitschko to defend his championship against Povetkin.[17] Within this period, discussions to make a fight with Haye were still ongoing.[18] At first, the bout between Klitschko and Povetkin was tentatively scheduled to take place in Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany, on 11 September 2010.[19] In July 2010, it was confirmed that the bout would be taking place in Frankfurt.[20] 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 11 September 2010, for the Ukrainian's IBF, WBO & IBO heavyweight titles. Klitschko won again, by knocking out Peter in the 10th round.[21][22][23] Peter weighed in at 241 pounds, two pounds lighter than their first fight. 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 although 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 11 December, but the fight was later called off on 8 December due to Klitschko tearing a muscle in his abdomen.[24][25]
On 5 January 2011, it was announced that Dereck Chisora would get his fight with Klitschko. This enraged David Haye's trainer Adam Booth who described the move as a "disgrace" on a heated live phone-in with Sky Sports News. Booth alleged Haye had met every single one of Klitschko's demands [26] The fight against Dereck Chisora was rescheduled for 30 April 2011, and was going to take place in SAP Arena, Mannheim.[27] However, on 4 March, it was announced Klitschko pulled out of the fight due to not being fully recovered from a torn abdominal muscle. On 5 March, it was instead announced that the highly anticipated fight against David Haye will take place on 2 July 2011.[28] The fight was contingent on Klitschko's recovery from a torn abdominal muscle injury. The contract was written so that if Klitschko is not fully healed, then Haye would fight his brother, Vitali.[29]
Klitschko fought David Haye in a heavyweight unification fight for the WBA (Super), WBO, IBF, IBO & The Ring heavyweight titles. The fight took place at the Imtech Arena, Hamburg, Germany on 2 July 2011.[30][31][32] Klitschko dominated the fight, statistically recording one knockdown and outlanding Haye nearly 2 to 1. Klitschko won by unanimous decision. [33]
On 6 October 2011 Wladimir Klitschko announced his next fight. It was originally to be on 10 December 2011 against the former cruiserweight champion, French Jean-Marc Mormeck. The fight would have taken place at Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf.[34] It was to be Wladimir's first title defense of the WBA (Super) belt, he won against David Haye. The fight was billed Alle Gürtel. Ein Champion. (All belts. One Champion). [35] However, on 5 December 2011, the fight was cancelled because Wladimir checked into a hospital to have a kidney stone removed. After the removal operation he suffered from fever and inflammation.[36] Since then, the fight has been rescheduled for 3 March 2012. But the fight has not officially been approved by the IBF, since Tony Thompson has been named the mandatory challenger for Wladimir Klitschko. [37] [38] [39] On 15 December IBF approved Wladimir's title defense against Mormeck.[40]
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.[41] 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.
Some media reported that Klitschko had been previously dating Yvonne Catterfeld;[42] the relationship was played up in German comedies Keinohrhasen and Zweiohrküken. After Vladimir's photo session[43] held for Vanity Fair magazine with Karolína Kurková she also claimed to have a romantic relationship with the boxer.[44] Alena Gerber was once his girlfriend.[45]
In 2009 Klitschko began dating American actress Hayden Panettiere.[46] Panettiere appeared at ringside at some of Klitschko's fights, including at Klitschko's 10th round KO victory over Samuel Peter.[47] The couple broke up in May 2011.[46]
| 56 Wins (49 knockouts), 3 Losses, 0 Draws[48] | |||||||
| Res. | Record | Opponnent | Type | Rd., Time | Date | Location | Notes |
| N/A | N/A | Jean-Marc Mormeck | N/A | N/A | 2012-03-03 | Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen | Defending The Ring, WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO Heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 56–3 | David Haye | UD | 12 | 2011-07-02 | Imtech Arena, Altona, Hamburg | Won WBA (Super), and retained WBO, IBF, IBO & The Ring heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 55–3 | Samuel Peter | KO | 10 (12), 1:22 | 2010-09-11 | Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Hessen | Retained WBO, IBF, IBO, & The Ring heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 54–3 | Eddie Chambers | KO | 12 (12), 2:55 | 2010-03-20 | Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen | Retained WBO, IBF, IBO, & The Ring heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 53–3 | Ruslan Chagaev | RTD | 9 (12), 3:00 | 2009-06-20 | Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Nordrhein-Westfalen | Won vacant The Ring, and retained WBO, IBF, & IBO heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 52–3 | Hasim Rahman | TKO | 7 (12), 0:44 | 2008-12-13 | SAP Arena, Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg | Retained WBO, IBF, & IBO heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 51–3 | Tony Thompson | KO | 11 (12), 1:38 | 2008-07-12 | Color Line Arena, Altona, Hamburg | Retained WBO, IBF, & IBO heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 50–3 | Sultan Ibragimov | UD | 12 | 2008-02-23 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York | Won WBO and retained IBF & IBO heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 49–3 | Lamon Brewster | RTD | 6 (12), 3:00 | 2007-07-07 | Kölnarena, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen | Retained IBF & IBO heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 48–3 | Ray Austin | TKO | 2 (12), 1:23 | 2007-03-10 | SAP Arena, Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg | Retained IBF & IBO heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 47–3 | Calvin Brock | TKO | 7 (12), 2:10 | 2006-11-11 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York | Retained IBF & IBO heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 46–3 | Chris Byrd | TKO | 7 (12), 0:41 | 2006-04-22 | SAP Arena, Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg | Won IBF & vacant IBO heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 45–3 | Samuel Peter | UD | 12 | 2005-09-24 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey | Won NABF & vacant NABO heavyweight titles. WBO & IBF heavyweight title eliminator. |
| Win | 44–3 | Eliseo Castillo | TKO | 4 (10), 2:51 | 2005-04-23 | Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen | |
| Win | 43–3 | DaVarryl Williamson | TD | 5 (10), 3:00 | 2004-10-02 | Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada | Fight stopped due to a Klitschko cut caused by an accidental headbutt. |
| Loss | 42–3 | Lamon Brewster | TKO | 5 (12), 3:00 | 2004-04-10 | Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | For vacant WBO heavyweight title. |
| Win | 42–2 | Danell Nicholson | TKO | 4 (12) | 2003-12-20 | Ostseehalle, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein | Retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title. |
| Win | 41–2 | Fabio Eduardo Moli | KO | 1 (12), 1:49 | 2003-08-30 | Olympiahalle, Munich, Bayern | Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title. |
| Loss | 40–2 | Corrie Sanders | TKO | 2 (12), 0:27 | 2003-03-08 | Preussag Arena, Hannover, Niedersachsen | Lost WBO heavyweight title. |
| Win | 40–1 | Jameel McCline | RTD | 10 (12), 3:00 | 2002-12-07 | Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | Retained WBO heavyweight title. |
| Win | 39–1 | Ray Mercer | TKO | 6 (12), 1:08 | 2002-06-29 | Taj Majal Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey | Retained WBO heavyweight title. |
| Win | 38–1 | Francois Botha | TKO | 8 (12), 0:47 | 2002-03-16 | Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg | Retained WBO heavyweight title. |
| Win | 37–1 | Charles Shufford | TKO | 6 (12), 2:55 | 2001-08-04 | Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | Retained WBO heavyweight title. |
| Win | 36–1 | Derrick Jefferson | TKO | 2 (12), 2:09 | 2001-03-24 | Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle, Munich, Bayern | Retained WBO heavyweight title. |
| Win | 35–1 | Chris Byrd | UD | 12 | 2000-10-14 | Kölnarena, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen | Won WBO heavyweight title. |
| Win | 34–1 | Monte Barrett | TKO | 7 (10), 2:40 | 2000-07-15 | New London Arena, Millwall, London | |
| Win | 33–1 | David Bostice | TKO | 2 (12) | 2000-04-29 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York | Retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title. |
| Win | 32–1 | Paea Wolfgramm | KO | 1 (12), 1:30 | 2000-03-18 | Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, Alsterdorf, Hamburg | Won vacant WBC International heavyweight title. |
| Win | 31–1 | Lajos Eros | KO | 2 (12), 2:35 | 1999-12-04 | Stadionsporthalle, Hannover, Niedersachsen | Retained European & WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 30–1 | Phil Jackson | KO | 2 (10), 1:59 | 1999-11-12 | The Orleans Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Win | 29–1 | Axel Schulz | TKO | 8 (12), 2:42 | 1999-09-25 | Kölnarena, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen | Won vacant European & retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight titles. |
| Win | 28–1 | Joseph Chingangu | RTD | 4 (12), 3:00 | 1999-07-17 | Philips Halle, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen | Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title. |
| Win | 27–1 | Tony LaRosa | TKO | 1 (10), 2:57 | 1999-05-22 | Sport Palace, Budapest, Central Hungary | |
| Win | 26–1 | Everett Martin | TKO | 8 (8) | 1999-04-24 | Circus Krone, Munich, Bayern | |
| Win | 25–1 | Zoran Vujecic | KO | 1 (8), 1:02 | 1999-02-13 | Maritim Hotel, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg | |
| Loss | 24–1 | Ross Puritty | TKO | 11 (12), 0:18 | 1998-12-05 | Sports Palace, Kiev, Kiev Oblast | Lost WBC International heavyweight title. |
| Win | 24–0 | Donnell Wingfield | KO | 1 (8) | 1998-11-14 | Circus Krone, Munich, Bayern | |
| Win | 23–0 | Eli Dixon | KO | 3 (10) | 1998-10-03 | Prinz-Garden Halle, Augsburg, Bayern | |
| Win | 22–0 | Steve Pannell | KO | 2 (10) | 1998-09-19 | Arena Oberhausen, Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen | |
| Win | 21–0 | Carlos Monroe | TKO | 6 (10), 2:28 | 1998-08-06 | Grand Casino Avoyelles, Marksville, Louisiana | |
| Win | 20–0 | Najee Shaheed | KO | 1 (12) | 1998-07-10 | Circus Krone, Munich, Bayern | Retained WBC International heavyweight title. |
| Win | 19–0 | Cody Koch | KO | 4 (12) | 1998-05-23 | Oberrheinhalle, Offenburg, Baden-Württemberg | Retained WBC International heavyweight title. |
| Win | 18–0 | Everett Martin | UD | 8 | 1998-03-14 | Sporthalle, Wandsbek, Hamburg | |
| Win | 17–0 | Marcus McIntyre | KO | 3 (12) | 1998-02-14 | Maritim Hotel, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg | Won vacant WBC International heavyweight title. |
| Win | 16–0 | Derrick Lampkins | TKO | 1 (8) | 1997-12-20 | Oberrheinhalle, Offenburg, Baden-Württemberg | |
| Win | 15–0 | Ladislav Husarik | TKO | 3 (8) | 1997-12-13 | Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, Alsterdorf, Hamburg | |
| Win | 14–0 | Jerry Halstead | TKO | 2 (8) | 1997-12-06 | Stadthalle, Offenbach, Hessen | |
| Win | 13–0 | Marcos Gonzalez | KO | 2 (8) | 1997-10-11 | Stadthalle, Cottbus, Brandenburg | |
| Win | 12–0 | James Pritchard | TKO | 3 (8) | 1997-09-20 | Tivoli Eissporthalle, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen | |
| Win | 11–0 | Biko Botowamungu | TKO | 5 (8), 2:02 | 1997-08-23 | Maritim Hotel, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg | |
| Win | 10–0 | Gilberto Williamson | TKO | 3 (8) | 1997-07-12 | Berlethalle, Hagen, Nordrhein-Westfalen | |
| Win | 9–0 | Salvador Maciel | KO | 1 (8) | 1997-06-27 | Oberrheinhalle, Offenburg, Baden-Württemberg | |
| Win | 8–0 | Paul Ashley | KO | 2 (8), 1:25 | 1997-06-13 | Arena Oberhausen, Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen | |
| Win | 7–0 | Mark Wills | KO | 1 (8), 2:58 | 1997-05-10 | Ballsporthalle, Frankfurt, Hessen | |
| Win | 6–0 | Mark Young | RTD | 2 (6), 3:00 | 1997-04-12 | Eurogress, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen | |
| Win | 5–0 | Carlos Monroe | DQ | 6 | 1997-02-15 | Stadthalle, Cottbus, Brandenburg | |
| Win | 4–0 | Troy Weida | TKO | 3 (6), 0:36 | 1997-01-25 | Maritim Hotel, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg | |
| Win | 3–0 | Bill Corrigan | TKO | 1 (4), 1:21 | 1996-12-21 | Zoo-Gesellschaftshaus, Frankfurt, Hessen | |
| Win | 2–0 | Exum Speight | TKO | 2 (4), 1:54 | 1996-11-30 | Nova Arena, Wiener Neustadt, Niederösterreich | |
| Win | 1–0 | Fabian Meza | KO | 1 (4), 1:35 | 1996-11-16 | Sporthalle, Wandsbek, Hamburg | Professional debut. |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant
Title last held by
Ike Ibeabuchi |
WBC International Heavyweight Champion 14 February 1998 – 5 December 1998 |
Succeeded by Ross Puritty |
| Vacant
Title last held by
Vitali Klitschko |
EBU Heavyweight Champion 25 September 1999–2000 |
Vacant
Title next held by
Vitali Klitschko |
| Preceded by Chris Byrd |
WBO Heavyweight Champion 14 October 2000 – 8 March 2003 |
Succeeded by Corrie Sanders |
| Preceded by Chris Byrd |
IBF Heavyweight Champion 22 April 2006 – present |
Incumbent |
| Vacant
Title last held by
Lennox Lewis |
IBO Heavyweight Champion 22 April 2006 – present |
|
| Preceded by Sultan Ibragimov |
WBO Heavyweight Champion 23 February 2008 – present |
|
| Vacant
Title last held by
Vitali Klitschko |
The Ring Heavyweight Champion 20 June 2009 – present |
|
| New title Titles unified against David Haye
|
WBA Heavyweight Champion Super Title 2 July 2011 – present |
|
|
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