Vitali Klitschko
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| Vitali Klitschko | |
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| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Vitaliy Volodymyrovych Klychko |
| Nickname(s) | Dr. Iron Fist |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft. 7½ in. (204 cm.) |
| Nationality | Ukrainian |
| Birth date | July 19, 1971 |
| Birth place | Belovodsk, Soviet Union |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 37 |
| Wins | 35 |
| Wins by KO | 34 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Competitor for  Ukraine |
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| Men’s Boxing | |||
| World Amateur Championships | |||
| Silver | 1995 Berlin | Super heavyweight | |
Dr. Vitali Vladimirovich Klitschko (Ukrainian: Віталій Володимирович Кличко, Vitaliy Volodymyrovych Klychko) born July 19, 1971). Klitschko is a professional Ukrainian boxer and was WBC and Ring heavyweight champion. He retired in 2005 and announced his comeback in 2007. He has the highest knockout percentage (92%) of any heavyweight champion in overall fights[citation needed] and is one of few heavyweight champions never to have been knocked down professionally. His younger brother, Wladimir Klitschko, is the current IBF, WBO & IBO heavyweight champion.
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[edit] Boxing career
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Originally a professional kickboxer, Vitali won the super heavyweight championship at the first World Military Games in Italy in 1995. In that same year, he won the silver medal at the 1995 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Berlin Germany, where he was defeated by Russia's Alexei Lezin in the final. His amateur record was 195-15 with 80 knockouts.
He began his professional boxing career in 1996, winning his first twenty-four fights by either early knockout or technical-knockout (TKO). He and Wladimir[original research?] signed with the German athlete-promotion company Universum. With both brothers holding Ph.D.s and being multilingual, their charismatic, refined and articulate personalities made for mainstream marketability when they moved to Germany and Universum. In time, they became national celebrities in their adopted home country. In his 25th pro fight, on June 26, 1999, Klitschko won the WBO heavyweight title from Herbie Hide of the United Kingdom by a 2nd round knockout.
He defended the title twice before losing it on April 1, 2000 to American Chris Byrd. Complaining of shoulder pain, Vitali and his corner decided to concede after the ninth round. Vitali was ahead on all three judges' scorecards (89-82, and 88-83 twice), but the way he ended this match brought international criticism,[citation needed] and resulted in a reputation at least partially as a quitter.[citation needed]
On June 21, 2003, he fought Lennox Lewis for the WBC heavyweight championship in Los Angeles, California. For the first two rounds, Klitschko was fighting very well. In the 3rd round, Lewis wounded Klitschko's left eye and the next two rounds were give and take. Before the 7th round, the ringside doctor inspected the wound and thought it severe enough to threaten eye damage if struck again. The doctor stopped the fight despite Klitschko's pleas to continue. Because Vitali's wound was a result of the punches from Lewis, and not a headbutt, the rules stated that Lewis would win by a technical knockout. Though he had lost, Klitschko gained international respect for fighting so well against the heavyweight champion for 6 rounds. An immediate rematch was arranged for December 6th of that year,[citation needed] but Lewis instead retired.
Around this time, the Klitschko brothers moved from Hamburg, Germany to Los Angeles, California. 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.[citation needed]
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. Sanders had knocked out (2nd Round TKO) younger brother Wladimir on March 8, 2003. This fight was also for The Ring Magazine belt. 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. 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 boxer Danny Williams. Williams had become suddenly marketable from a TKO over Mike Tyson in round 7. Klitschko scored a technical knockout against Williams in 8 rounds on December 11, 2004, while wearing an orange cloth to show support for the Ukrainian presidential opposition movement. Klitschko knocked Williams down in the 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 8th rounds before the fight was 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.[citation needed]
On November 9, 2005, Vitali Klitschko announced his retirement from professional boxing and vacated his title. 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[2]. Following his retirement, the WBC conferred "champion emeritus" status on Klitschko, and assured him he would become the mandatory challenger if and when he decided to return.[citation needed] He still occasionally calls out Lennox Lewis, who has been retired since early 2004, for a rematch.[citation needed]
In the German Bild-Zeitung, he announced on January 24, 2007 his comeback and requested to fight again.[1] But because of a number of health problems, Klitschko has backed out from a number of bouts scheduled for him.
It is now expected that Vitali will return to fight WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter for his title, having been promised a title shot by the WBC.
[edit] Outside the ring
Klitschko began campaigning for mayor of Kyiv shortly after his retirement. Klitschko lost the election to Leonid Chernovetsky 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. Still, he was elected as a people's deputy to Kiev City Council.
Klitschko in March 2008 again announced an intention to run for Mayor of Kiev and made a highly publicized trip to the US which was organized by 5WPR[2] and TriGlobal Strategic Ventures.
Both Vitali and his brother are avid chess players. Vitali is a friend of former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik and the two have played, with Kramnik always winning. Vitali has commented that "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."[3]
Vitali and his brother also have been involved in charitable activities dedicated to support the needs of schools, churches and children. In 2002, the Klitschko brothers announced that they had agreed to work specifically for the UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) which supports more than 180 projects in 87 countries.
[edit] Personal
Their father, Vladimir Rodionovich, was a Soviet Air Force Colonel. Their mother is Nadezhda Ulyanovna.
He is married to Natalia Egorova, a former athlete and model. They met in Kyiv, Ukraine and got married in April of 1996. He has three children, Egor-Daniel, Elizabeth-Victoria and Max.
In 1996, he graduated from the Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky Pedagogical Institute (Ukraine) and was accepted into the postgraduate study program at Kyiv University. On February 29, 2000, he presented his doctorate thesis at the Kyiv University of Physical Science and Sports, and his Ph.D in Philosophy in Sports Science was conferred.
[edit] Trivia
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- According to Till Lindemann, the song Sonne was originally written as an entrance song for Klitschko, which was also the working title of the song. [3].
- The Klitschko brothers have created their own design collection of men's sports and leather clothes with Hugo Boss.
[edit] External links
- The Official Site of Klitschko Brothers (German/English/Ukrainian/Russian).
- Professional boxing record for Vitali Klitschko from Boxrec
- Klitschko Interview on FOX News Radio
| Preceded by Herbie Hide |
WBO heavyweight champion June 26, 1999 – January 4, 2000 |
Succeeded by Chris Byrd |
| Preceded by Lennox Lewis Retired |
WBC heavyweight champion April 24, 2004 – November 9, 2005 Retired |
Succeeded by Vacancy filled by Hasim Rahman |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Kyiv gets first new mayor in decade Kyiv Post. 29 March 2006.
