Wladimir Klitschko

Not to be confused with his brother, Vitali Klitschko.
In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Volodýmyrovych and the family name is Klychkó.

Wladimir Klitschko
Володимир Кличко
Klitschko in 2023
Born (1976-03-25) 25 March 1976
Semipalatinsk, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
NationalityUkrainian
RelativesVitali Klitschko (brother)
Military career
Allegiance Ukraine
BranchUkrainian Army
Years of service2022–present
Battles / warsRussian invasion of Ukraine
Boxing career
Other namesDr. Steelhammer
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)[1]
Reach206 cm (81 in)[2]
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights69
Wins64
Wins by KO53
Losses5
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  Ukraine
Olympic Games
1996 Atlanta Super-heavyweight
European Championships
1996 Vejle Super-heavyweight
Junior European Championships
1993 Saloniki Heavyweight
Military World Championships
1995 Ariccia Heavyweight
Junior World Championships
1994 Turkey Heavyweight
Military World Games
1995 Rome Heavyweight
Websiteklitschko.com

Wladimir Klitschko[a] (born 25 March 1976) is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2017. He held multiple heavyweight world championships between 2000 and 2015, including unified[b] titles between 2008 and 2015. During this time he also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) and Ring magazine titles.

A strategic and intelligent boxer, Klitschko is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time.[3][4][5][6] He was known for his exceptional knockout power, using a strong jab; straight right hand; and left hook, quick hand speed, formidable physical strength (which he often employed when clinching opponents), and his athletic footwork and mobility - unusual for boxers of his size.[7][8][9][10]

As an amateur, Klitschko represented Ukraine at the 1996 Olympics, winning a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division and ending his amateur run with 134 wins and 6 losses. After turning professional later that year, he defeated Chris Byrd in 2000 to win the World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight title. Klitschko's first reign as champion ended in an upset knockout loss to Corrie Sanders in 2003, which was followed by another upset knockout loss to Lamon Brewster in 2004. It was during this time that Klitschko hired Emanuel Steward as his trainer, which began an eight-year partnership that lasted until Steward's death in 2012. In particular, Steward was credited with Klitschko's transition from an aggressive puncher to a more defensively-oriented boxer, much as he had done with Lennox Lewis from 1995 to 2003.

From 2004 to 2015, Wladimir and his brother Vitali Klitschko (himself a multiple-time world champion) dominated heavyweight boxing, a period typically known as the "Klitschko Era" of the division.[11][12] In 2006, Wladimir regained a portion of the world heavyweight championship after defeating Byrd in a rematch to win the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and IBO titles. He won his second WBO title by defeating Sultan Ibragimov in 2008. Following his defeat of Ruslan Chagaev in 2009, Klitschko was awarded the Ring title, and lastly he won the World Boxing Association (WBA) title (Unified version, later Super version) from David Haye in 2011.

During Klitschko's reign as world heavyweight champion, his fights would reportedly generate up to 500 million viewers worldwide.[c] Klitschko holds all-time records for the longest time spent as world heavyweight champion at 4,382 days and most fighters beaten for the world heavyweight championship, at 23.[d] He also holds records for the most wins and title defences of the unified championship[note 1] in professional boxing history.[28] In 2011, both Wladimir and Vitali entered the Guinness World Records book as brothers with most world heavyweight title fight wins (30 at the time; 40 as of 2020).[29][30][31] Klitschko was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame Class of 2021, having been elected in his first year of eligibility.[32][33]

  1. ^ Sky Sports tale of the tape prior to the Anthony Joshua fight.
  2. ^ HBO World Championship Boxing tale of the tape prior to the Anthony Joshua fight.
  3. ^ Hauser, Thomas (19 April 2017). "From the Ring: The Greatest Heavyweight of All Time". The Ring. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  4. ^ Iole, Kevin (3 August 2017). "Why Wladimir Klitschko is one of the greatest heavyweights of all time". Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo!. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  5. ^ Rafael, Dan (4 August 2017). "Anthony Joshua ordered to make mandatory defenses of IBF, WBA titles". ESPN. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Ranking the 15 greatest heavyweight boxers of all time". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  7. ^ Wladimir Klitschko – An Analysis of the Surgeon at Work. Myboxingcoach.com (21 March 2012). Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  8. ^ "Klitschko-Haye broken down by expert trainer James Gogue". Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  9. ^ Joshua vs Klitschko: David Haye and Adam Booth reveal the difficulty of facing Wladimir Klitschko
  10. ^ Fighting Klitschko: What It's Actually Like To Box Wladimir
  11. ^ Sherdog.com. "Boxing: Wladimir Klitschko's Loss Signals End of Era". Sherdog.
  12. ^ "Can Mariusz Wach End The Klitschko Era of Dominance?". 6 November 2012.
  13. ^ "Володимира Кличка внесли до Міжнародної зали боксерської слави". obozrevatel.com. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference klitschko vs. haye, shz was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Провідні країни Європи борються за бій братів Кличків". tsn.ua (in Ukrainian). 31 October 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  16. ^ "За право провести бой Кличко соревнуются европейские города" (in Russian). 30 October 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  17. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Boxing legend Wladimir Klitschko admits to 'biggest fight of my life' on war front line". Daily Mirror. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  18. ^ "30 шагов Независимости: история успехов и поражений в ярких фото" (in Russian). 18 August 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference klitschko vs. haye, focus was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ "Володимиру Кличку – 47: "Помста за брата" та інші видатні перемоги легендарного українця" (in Ukrainian). Channel 24. 25 March 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  21. ^ "Most days as a heavyweight boxing champion". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  22. ^ "Wladimir Klitschko: We fight, we're killed, we rebuild, we celebrate, we live". The Times. Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  23. ^ "Володимиру Кличку – 44: найкращі нокаути боксера" (in Ukrainian). 25 March 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  24. ^ "Украина сделала свой выбор! Назван лучший боксер в истории страны" (in Russian). Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  25. ^ "Władimir Kliczko wróci na ring? "Jeśli wojna się skończy..."" (in Polish). Polsat Sport. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  26. ^ "Fury 'mentally happy' to be in ring, eyes Klitschko-like reign". Reuters. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  27. ^ "Wladimir Klitschko". International Boxing Hall of Fame. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  28. ^ "Владимир Кличко" (in Russian). 6 August 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  29. ^ "Most boxing heavyweight world title fights won by brothers". Guinness World Records. 2 July 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  30. ^ "Boxing legends Oscar De La Hoya Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather snag Guinness World Records at WBC convention". Guinness World Records. 12 December 2011.
  31. ^ "Klitschko brothers included in Guinness World Records". 2 October 2018.
  32. ^ "Володимир Кличко включений до Міжнародного залу боксерської слави". sport.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  33. ^ "Mayweather, Klitschko, Ward Elected To International Boxing Hall of Fame". boxingscene.com. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.


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