WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO

updated July 12, 2008

With a dramatic and convincing TKO victory over IBF world heavyweight champion Chris Byrd on April 22, 2006, Wladimir Klitschko achieved his objective of regaining the heavyweight title, joining his older brother, Vitali, as the only siblings to ever hold the heavyweight crown.

It actually had been the dream of the Klitschko brothers to own world titles simultaneously, but injuries forced Vitali to retire as World Boxing Council (WBC) champion. But with Vitali hoping to return to the scene, perhaps that dream can indeed become a reality.

Wladimir has gained world wide respect as the bona fide heavyweight belt holder, first with his annihilation of Byrd, followed by TKO victories over highly ranked contender Calvin Brock to close out 2006, and a second round dismissal of Ray Austin to start off 2007.

Klitschko left no question of doubt that he was back, and best in the division when he dominated the smaller Byrd throughout the contest, before referee Wayne Kelly called a hault to the match at 0:41 of the seventh round. It was more of the same against Brock and Austin, as Klitschko has achieved the peak of the division and is taking on all comers.

Wladimir avenged his 2004 loss to Lamon Brewster when the two engaged in a July 7, 2007 rematch in Cologne, Germany. Klitschko left no question that he was the superior fighter, controlling the fight from the opening bell before Brewster's corner threw in the towel in the sixth round , gaining revenge over his foe.

In their first battle for the WBO championship, Brewster won the title with a fifth round technical knockout on April 10, 2004 in Las Vegas. The dramatic battle was stopped between the fifth and sixth rounds, after Klitschko had knocked down Brewster in the fourth round, but was saved by the bell. Brewster recovered and went on to score a spectacular win to take the title. "This chance for revenge against Lamon Brewster was a dream come true," said the 31-year old Klitschko. "I always hoped for chance to redeem myself and was able to do so."

It was Klitschko's seventh straight victory after the Brewster loss, having turned back Ray Austin in Germany with a dominant second round TKO victory on March 10, 2007, and the unbeaten Calvin Brock at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2006 via a decisive seventh round TKO.

The brothers could have made history in early 2004 when each fought for a world title within a two-week span. However, 14 days before Vitali knocked out Corrie Sanders to capture the vacant WBC belt, Wladimir lost by fifth-round TKO to underdog Brewster in a bout for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) title on April 10, 2004, in Las Vegas.

Klitschko had administered a beating to Brewster and was well ahead on points. But after decking Brewster in the fourth, he ran out of gas and the fight was stopped in the following round.

"I am disappointed about the way I lost to Brewster, but the past is the past and it makes no sense to look back," Wladimir said. "I was in excellent shape, but it was not me in there. I do not know what happened. I have no excuses. Brewster is a good fighter. Maybe there will be a rematch some day, but I cannot think about that.

"The most important thing for me is to win all my fights. My biggest idols in boxing, Max Schmeling and Muhammad Ali, both lost, and came back. So have I.''

It took Klitschko just four fights to regain the title. And it began with handing previously undefeated Samuel Peter the first loss of his career on on Sept. 24, 2005. Klitschko silenced the critics with his inspired performance against a feared youngster some were calling the division's most dangerous puncher since Mike Tyson. "After beating Peter, my career was definitely back on track. I regained my confidence.''

Facing what many considered a must-win bout and the ultimate crossroads fight, Klitschko took Peter to school en route to winning a unanimous 12-round decision going away by the scores of 114-111 on all the scorecards. Wladimir went down three times but only one of the knockdowns appeared to be close to legitimate. Peter hurt Klitschko in the fifth and was credited with two knockdowns, although the first came from a punch to the back of the head. No punch appeared to land on the second knockdown.

Reasserting himself as one of the division's premier performers, Klitschko executed his game plan to perfection, doing precisely what he had to do to offset the bull-like charges of Peter He utilized a brilliant jab and his experience, pedigree, quickness, movement, height, reach, poise and intellect to batter and beat up the awkward Peter en route to winning almost all the rounds in a well-hyped, pressure-filled, exciting match that was the most significant non-title heavyweight bout of the year.

In his first fight after falling to Brewster, Klitschko registered a fifth-round split technical decision over DaVarryl Williamson on Oct.2, 2004, in Las Vegas. The outcome went to the scorecards after an inadvertent clash of heads opened a gash almost to the bone above Klitschko's right eye, forcing the referee to stop the bout.

Klitschko had it mostly all go his way until going down from a straight right hand 40 seconds into the fourth round. He won by the scores of 49-46 twice and 47-48.

"I felt I was dominating and winning every round, but this was not an easy fight and I was not happy with my performance,'' said Klitschko, who rallied after the knockdown to control the action the rest of the round. "I know I have to improve. I wanted to continue to fight. I was really confident.''

In his 2005 debut, Klitschko was in complete command as he registered a one-sided fourth-round TKO over previously undefeated Eliseo Castillo on April 23 in Dortmund, Germany.

"I came back to be a world champion again and this win was a step in the right direction,'' Klitschko said. "I felt great. I just want to get back to where I was. I want to be even better than before.''

Klitschko drove Castillo (18-0-1 going in) into the ropes with a hard right hand to the head late in the fourth round. Moments later, he dropped the Cuban with a long left jab followed by a ripping right cross to the chin. Castillo struggled to make it to his feet, but the referee quickly waved off the contest. Nine seconds remained in the stanza.

"The key was to keep the pressure on with the left jab," Klitschko said. "Castillo moves a lot, but I think he got pretty tired because of the pressure.''

While the victory was not a surprise, it was an important one for Wladimir, who fought for the first time in his career without his brother working his corner. Vitali underwent back surgery the Tuesday of fight week.

"Even if Vitali was not with me physically, I felt him there,'' Wladimir said.

Before losing his WBO crown to Sanders on a totally unexpected second-round TKO on March 8, 2003, in Hannover, Germany, Klitschko was regarded not only as the more promising and athletic of the close-knit brothers but perhaps the most talented heavyweight in the world.

"Then, for a long time, they were calling Vitali the best," Wladimir said. "Now, I am just waiting for my chance again to show that I am the best.''

Unlike his meltdown against Brewster, Wladimir's performance against Sanders in the RING magazine Upset of the Year was a downright shocker.

"I think that everyone present at the arena or that watched the fight on television saw what happened," said Klitschko, who got decked twice in both the first and second rounds. "Sanders had one chance to beat me, and I played right into his hands. On the one hand, it was a lucky punch. On the other hand, it was my hasty tactics. He was able to use my mistakes against me.''

Wladimir, who got his doctorate in sports science and philosophy from The University of Kiev in January 2001, first laced up the gloves when he was a young teenager. At the time, he says, there was no way he thought boxing would become an important facet of his life.

"I got interested in boxing when I was 14, but I never thought I would make it as an amateur or as a pro," Klitschko said. Rather, he thought he would pursue a career in medicine. "I really wanted to be a doctor. That is what I envisioned I would do with my life. I dreamed about everything as a boy, being a military man, a spaceman, but never a fighter."

Klitschko won the gold medal in the super heavyweight division at the 1996 Olympic Games, becoming the first white gold medalist in the highest weight class in 36 years. In his four Olympic bouts, he defeated Lawrence Clay-Bey of the United States, Attila Levin of Sweden, Russia's Alexei Lezin and Tonga's Paea Wolfgramm. Klitschko concluded an outstanding amateur career with a 134-6 record.

Wladimir restored the family name and got his revenge for Vitali by defeating the slick southpaw, Chris Byrd (31-1 going in), to capture the WBO heavyweight title on Oct. 14, 2000, in Cologne, Germany.

In a much easier-than-expected outing, Klitschko notched an impressive, lopsided decision by the scores of 120-106, 119-107 and 118-108. Byrd, who learned the hard way not to mess with the brothers, went down in the ninth and 11th, and got tagged hard in almost every round. His right eye began swelling by the fourth and closed sometime thereafter. His left eye was only half-open at bout's end.

"Byrd was a very difficult boxer to fight, but I kept my cool and emotions under control," Wladimir said. "It was special to win since he beat my brother, but I do not hate or dislike Byrd. 'Revenge of the Brother' (as the matchup was billed) was a very hard name. I find that title too brutal. One can look at two aspects: First, it was a title fight, which I always dreamed about. Second, Byrd did not beat up my brother badly. Vitali lost due to an injury (torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder). I think that win proved a lot. I became the world champion and I love my brother.''

In his initial title defense, Wladimir registered a scintillating second-round TKO over Derrick Jefferson (24-2, 20 KOs going in) on March 24, 2001, in Munich, Germany.

The six-foot-six-inch, 250-pound Jefferson appeared to have the physical dimensions to stay with Wladimir, but he got destroyed. Klitschko, showing terrific poise and patience, dropped Jefferson once in each of the first two rounds. The referee halted the proceedings at 2:09 of the second.

"Jefferson had a very big mouth and said he would put me and my brother under the earth," Klitschko said. "Well, there was no funeral.''

Klitschko retained his title for the second time with a fifth-round TKO over Charles Shufford on Aug. 4, 2001, in Las Vegas. Content to stay on the outside, Klitschko decked Shufford in both the second and third rounds. Right hands did the damage on both occasions, but it was a left hook that traveled about 18 inches that finished off Shufford at 2:52 of the sixth.

"The fight was important because it was my championship debut in America," Klitschko said. "I knew a lot of people would be watching. I wanted to win convincingly and leave a good impression.

"I would have liked to give the crowd a more boisterous performance, but Shufford was a very cautious fighter and it is tough to fight a careful fighter and look good. So I had to fight smart and do some problem solving. My left hook was sharp in training, so that solved my problem. Overall, I was very pleased with my performance and the result.''

Klitschko was scheduled to defend his crown against David Izon in New York on Dec. 1, 2001, but he was forced to withdraw after injuring his left shoulder two days before Thanksgiving.

"Canceling that fight was very depressing and the last thing I wanted,'' Klitschko said. "I was really excited and looked forward to defending my title in New York. As I told the press there a few weeks before, that fight was going to be my way to show support to all the people who had gone through so much since the tragedy of Sept. 11.''

When he returned to the ring three-and-one-half months later, Klitschko successfully defended his WBO title a third time by registering an eighth-round TKO over former International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight titleholder Francois Botha on March 16, 2002, in Stuttgart, Germany.

The one-sided affair was stopped by the referee 48 seconds into the eighth round shortly after Klitschko recorded the bout's lone knockdown. The champion floored the game, and rendered Botha ineffective with a left hook. Klitschko won every round in his first start in nine months.

"It took me a while to shake off the ring rust, but once I got going, I felt great," Klitschko said. "By the fifth, I was able to establish and dominate with my jab and get into a good rhythm. I was surprised Botha lasted as long as he did. I hit him with a lot of hard punches and he took a lot of punishment."

At the finish, Botha had two swollen eyes and his face was puffy. "I have never been in better shape or boxed this well, but Wladimir is a great fighter,'' Botha said.

Klitschko became the first boxer to stop Ray Mercer when he recorded an impressive sixth-round TKO over the former Marine on June 29, 2002, in Atlantic City.

Klitschko floored Mercer in the first, landed many brutal shots throughout and had Mercer's eyes cut and swollen by the time the referee halted the one-sided proceedings at 1:08 of the round.

Sharp from the outset, Klitschko knocked down Mercer in the first, landed countless brutal shots with both hands throughout and had Mercer's eyes cut and swollen by the time the referee halted the one-sided proceedings at the 1:08 mark of the sixth round.

"I enjoyed the Mercer fight very much,'' said Klitschko, who landed 104 of 167 power shots, including a left hook to the head that put Mercer down with 30 seconds remaining in the opening round. "I had never seen anyone quite like him. He has the strongest chin in the world.''

Klitschko successfully defended his title for a fifth and final time with a 10th-round TKO over Jameel McCline on Dec. 17, 2002, in Las Vegas. In command from the opening bell, Klitschko dropped the reluctant McCline late in the ninth round. The challenger did not come out for the 10th.

"He was tough but simple,'' said Klitschko, who won nine rounds on two scorecards and eight on the third. "If he would have come out for the next round I would have ended the fight very quickly.''

Klitschko turned pro at age 20 on Nov. 16, 1996, and scored a first-round TKO over Fabian Meza in Hamburg, Germany. He went 2-0 that year, and 13-0 the next.

In his 1998 debut, Klitschko captured the WBC International heavyweight title by knocking out Marcus McIntyre (15-1 going in) in the second round on Feb. 14 in Stuttgart, Germany.

The future world champion's 17-fight knockout streak ended exactly one month later when Everett "Big Foot" Martin went the distance before losing an eight-round decision in Munich, Germany.

Following the rare decision victory, Klitschko won his next six outings by knockout. Two came in WBC International title defenses, another in his United States debut against Carlos "The Shock Absorber" Monroe on Aug. 6, 1998, in Marksville, La.

Klitschko's 24-fight winning streak ended when he lost on an 11th-round TKO to veteran Ross Puritty on Dec. 15, 1998, in his first hometown appearance as a pro.

Klitschko, who had never gone past eight rounds, suffered from a lack of stamina. Comfortably ahead on the scorecards, he literally collapsed from exhaustion and went down twice in the 10th. Although only one was ruled a knockdown, Klitschko was stopped at 0:18 of the 11th.

"I did a lot of promotion for the fight," Klitschko said. "I wanted it to be perfect for my hometown audience, but I did not have the proper focus or concentration. I did not prepare mentally and physically the way I should have. I was only 22. I was arrogant and paid the price. I was having it go my way for so long. I felt invincible. I simply learned a hard lesson about what it takes to be a pro. You must train hard, not only in the ring but in the gym every day."

After the loss, Klitschko won 16 consecutive bouts from February 1999 through December 2002. The only contest not to end by knockout came against Byrd.

During the winning streak, Klitschko won the WBA Continental heavyweight title with a fifth-round TKO over Joseph Chingangu on July 17, 1999, in Dusseldorf, Germany.

On Sept. 26, 1999, Klitschko captured the vacant European title with an eighth-round TKO over two-time world title challenger Axel Schulz in Cologne, Germany. Before 18,000 fans and 11 million TV viewers, Klitschko floored Schulz twice in the eighth and the bout was terminated at 2:43. The German had never been stopped before and had been competitive with George Foreman, Botha and Michael Moorer.

Klitschko made his second U.S. start on Nov. 12, 1999, in Las Vegas and starched Phil Jackson in two rounds.

After retaining his European crown with a second-round TKO over Lajos Eros on Dec. 4, 1999, in Hannover, Klitschko overwhelmed Olympic rival out Paea Wolfgramm (18-1 going in) to regain the WBC International title on March 18, 2000, in Hamburg.

Landing almost every punch he threw, Klitschko bloodied Wolfgramm and ended matters when the referee counted the Olympian out on all fours at 1:30 of the first round. Klitschko won the gold in 1996 Olympics by outpointing Wolfgramm on a 7-3 decision in the final.

Klitschko retained his WBA Continental belt with a second-round TKO over David Bostice (32-1-1 going in) on April 29, 2000, in New York. Wladimir scored two knockdowns in the first stanza and two more in the second. After the final knockdown, the bout was stopped at 1:27.

Continuing his winning ways, Klitschko recorded a seventh-round TKO over Monte Barrett on July 15, 2000, in London. Barrett went down once in the first and fourth and three times in the seventh before the bout was stopped at 2:42. In his next start, he dethroned Byrd.

Sandwiched between the shocking upset losses to Brewster and Sanders, Klitschko stopped Fabio Moli (29-3 going in) just 97 seconds into the first round on Aug. 30, 2003, in Munich, Germany, and scored a fourth-round TKO over Danell Nicholson on Dec. 20, 2003, in Kiel, Germany.

One of Klitschko's earliest boxing memories came on the eve of his first amateur bout.

"When I was 14, we drove away to a tournament in Kazakhstan," Klitschko said. "About 40 boxers were there. I waited for my first fight. Finally, I began to wonder what happened. So I asked a tournament official where my opponent was? He told me I won because I was the only fighter in the heavyweight division. I could not believe it.''

Klitschko's hobbies include golfing, snowboarding, kite surfing, surfing the internet, watching action movies, playing soccer, listening to music, and, like Vitali, is a serious chess player.

Wladimir once played a game of chess against world champion Garry Kasparov. "That was a mismatch," he said. "Garry went from table to table and played a lot of people at the same time, including against Vitali and myself. It was a great experience."

Regarding his personal beliefs, Klitschko is confident and philosophical.

"I believe in God and in myself," Klitschko said. "During the Soviet era, people did not have much chance to practice religion. Life without belief is meaningless. To me, it does not matter if you are Buddhist, Jew, Muslim or Christian; a man needs to have beliefs, hopes, and dreams.